AUTHOR=Yan Su , Ma Zhonghui , Jiao Mengfan , Wang Youxiang , Li Ang , Ding Suying 

TITLE=Effects of Smoking on Inflammatory Markers in a Healthy Population as Analyzed via the Gut Microbiota

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.633242

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.633242

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>The number of people who smoke has increased in recent years, and the incidence of smoking-related diseases increases annually. This study was conducted to explore whether smoking affects diseases <italic>via</italic> changes in the gut microbiota. We enrolled 33 smokers and 121 non-smokers. We collected fecal samples from all participants and performed whole-genome sequencing. Smoking significantly affected the gut microbiota. At the phylum through genus levels, the smokers’ microbiotas showed slight changes compared with those of the non-smokers. The α- and β-diversities differed significantly between the smokers and non-smokers, and the smokers’ gut microbiota compositions differed significantly from those of the non-smokers. At the species level, the relative abundances of <italic>Ruminococcus gnavus</italic> (<italic>P</italic>=0.00197) and <italic>Bacteroides vulgatus</italic> (<italic>P</italic>=0.0468) were significantly greater in the smokers than in the non-smokers, while the relative abundances of <italic>Faecalibacterium prausnitzii</italic> (<italic>P</italic>=0.0000052) and <italic>Akkermansia muciniphila</italic> (<italic>P</italic>=0.0057) were significantly lower in the smokers. Smoking increases inflammation in the body by inducing an increased abundance of proinflammatory bacteria. Non-smokers had higher abundances of anti-inflammatory microorganisms than did smokers; these microorganisms can produce short-chain fatty acids, which inhibit inflammation.</p>