AUTHOR=Pepoyan Elya , Marotta Francesco , Manvelyan Anahit , Galstyan Artak , Stepanyan Lena , Grigoryan Hasmik , Grigoryan Liana , Mikayelyan Mikayel , Balayan Marine , Harutyunyan Natalya , Mirzabekyan Susanna , Tsaturyan Vardan , Torok Tamas , Pepoyan Astghik 

TITLE=Placebo-resistant gut bacteria: Akkermansia muciniphila spp. and Familial Mediterranean fever disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2024.1336752

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2024.1336752

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Despite numerous investigations into the impact of drugs/probiotics on the gut microbiota composition in Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) patients, the question as to whether there exists a significant bacterial diversity(ies) independent of the placebo effect that can be reliably considered in clinical and nutritional trials remains unresolved.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This study represents the in augural analysis of the placebo’s influence on the gut microbiota of both healthy individuals and FMF afflicted men, utilizing previously collected data from PhyloChip™ DNA microarray experiments. A total of 15 healthy and 15 FMF male volunteers, aged 18 to 50, participated in this partially randomized placebo trial, which is accessible through the GEO Series accession number GSE111835.</p></sec><sec><title>Results and Discussion</title><p>Key findings from current investigations include <italic>i.</italic> the anticipated divergence in gut bacteria resistance to placebo between healthy and FMF individuals, <italic>ii.</italic> the minor impact of placebo on gut bacterial diversities in healthy individuals, with <italic>Enterobacteriaceae</italic> diversities identified as placebo-resistant among “healthy” gut bacteria, and <italic>iii.</italic> the comprehensive influence of placebo on all bacterial phyla in the gut microbiome of FMF patients, extending to nearly all bacterial genera, except for the resilience of gut <italic>Akkermansia muciniphila</italic> spp. to placebo in FMF patients. This study underscores the susceptibility of <italic>Faecalibacterium</italic>, <italic>Blautia</italic>, and <italic>Clostridium</italic> genera to placebo. Consequently, this investigation holds significance for the proper design of placebo-controlled trials and establishes a foundation for further exploration of the gut-brain axis. Furthermore, it contributes valuable insights to discussions regarding proposals for probiotic therapies, particularly focusing on <italic>Faecalibacterium</italic> spp., <italic>Blautia</italic> spp., and <italic>Clostridium</italic> spp.</p></sec>