Structure of intestinal microflora in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients and hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus

AIM

To analyze the changes of intestinal microflora in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients and hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

Fecal samples were collected from nine patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and six hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus, and DNA was extracted from the fecal samples. The extracted DNA was purified and amplified by PCR, and the V3-V6 regions of the 16S rDNA of the fecal flora of the two groups were sequenced using the Roche454 high-throughput sequencing platform. The sequencing results were finally analyzed.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in diversity parameters (OTUs, Chao1 index, Simpson index, and Shannon index) between the two groups. At the phylum level, the proportion of Proteobacteria in intestinal microflora of hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes increased significantly (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the proportions of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. At the class level, the proportion of Gammaproteobacteria in the intestinal flora of hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus was significantly higher than that in the hepatitis B cirrhosis group (P < 0.05), although the rest classes were not statistically different. At the order level, Desulfovibrionales in the intestinal microflora had obvious advantage in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients over hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus (P < 0.05), but the percentage of Burkholderiales in the intestinal flora of patients with cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus increased obviously (P < 0.05). At the family level, the proportions of Veillonellaceae and Alcaligenaceae in the intestinal flora increased significantly in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus compared with patients with cirrhosis alone (P < 0.05), and the percentages of Streptococcaceae and Clostridiaceaein in the intestinal flora of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis had obvious advantages (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the proportions of Parabacteroides, Roseburia, Veillonellaceae, and Sutterella in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes mellitus were significantly higher than those in patients with cirrhosis alone (P < 0.05), and the populations of Faecalibacterium and Streptococcus had advantages in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Although hepatitis B cirrhosis and hepatitis B cirrhosis patients with diabetes have similar intestinal flora structures, there are differences between them. The differences in certain bacterial populations may be a new target for the treatment of hepatitis B cirrhosis with diabetes.