Promising Intestinal Microbiota Associated with Clinical Characteristics of COPD Through Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis

Abstract

Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an incurable chronic respiratory disease, has become a major public health problem. The relationship between the composition of intestinal microbiota and the important clinical factors affecting COPD remains unclear. This study aimed to identify specific intestinal microbiota with high clinical diagnostic value for COPD.

Methods

The fecal microbiota of patients with COPD and healthy individuals were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Random forest classification was performed to analyze the different intestinal microbiota. Spearman correlation was conducted to analyze the correlation between different intestinal microbiota and clinical characteristics. A microbiota-disease network diagram was constructed using the gut MDisorder database to identify the possible pathogenesis of intestinal microorganisms affecting COPD, screen for potential treatment, and guide future research.

Results

No significant difference in biodiversity was shown between the two groups but significant differences in microbial community structure. Fifteen genera of bacteria with large abundance differences were identified, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, Lachnospira, and Parabacteroides. Among them, the relative abundance of Lachnospira and Coprococcus was negatively related to the smoking index and positively related to lung function results. By contrast, the relative abundance of Parabacteroides was positively correlated with the smoking index and negatively correlated with lung function findings. Random forest classification showed that Lachnospira was the genus most capable of distinguishing between patients with COPD and healthy individuals suggesting it may be a potential biomarker of COPD. A Lachnospira disease network diagram suggested that Lachnospira decreased in some diseases, such as asthma, diabetes mellitus, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and increased in other diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, and bovine lichen.

Conclusion

The dominant intestinal microbiota with significant differences is related to the clinical characteristics of COPD, and the Lachnospira has the potential value to identify COPD.

Keywords:

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• intestinal microbiota
• 16S rDNA sequencing
• Lachnospira
• gut-lung axis

Data Sharing Statement

The raw data can be gained from the corresponding author.

Ethics Statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, case number PJ2015101KT. All participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

Tianwen Lai, Ruina Huang, Lihuan Ouyang, Bin Wu, and Yalian Yuan were involved in the conception and design of the study. Jia Fang, Yun Wang, Lihuan Ouyang, Xiantong Tang, Keyan Lin, and Chaole Luo were responsible for data acquisition. Ruina Huang was responsible for data analysis and manuscript writing. Weimin Yao participated study design and also provided effective scientific suggestions for this study. Tianwen Lai provided science supervise and critically revise manuscripts. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, have agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82170030, 82370038), the Young Innovative Talents Project of Guangdong Normal Universities (No. 2018KQNCX099).