AUTHOR=Chen Yanghong , Lin Yi , Shan Caifeng , Li Zhaoqing , Xiao Bo , He Rencai , Huang Xueshi , Wang Zhanyou , Zhang Jingsheng , Qiao Wenjun 

TITLE=Effect of Fufang Huangqi Decoction on the Gut Microbiota in Patients With Class I or II Myasthenia Gravis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.785040

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2022.785040

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Objective</title><p>To investigate the effect of Fufang Huangqi Decoction on the gut microbiota in patients with class I or II myasthenia gravis (MG) and to explore the correlation between gut microbiota and MG (registration number, ChiCTR2100048367; registration website, <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">http://www.chictr.org.cn/listbycreater.aspx</ext-link>; NCBI: SRP338707).</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>In this study, microbial community composition and diversity analyses were carried out on fecal specimens from MG patients who did not take Fufang Huangqi Decoction (control group, <italic>n</italic> = 8) and those who took Fufang Huangqi Decoction and achieved remarkable alleviation of symptoms (medication group, <italic>n</italic> = 8). The abundance, diversity within and between habitats, taxonomic differences and corresponding discrimination markers of gut microbiota in the control group and medicated group were assessed.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Compared with the control group, the medicated group showed a significantly decreased abundance of Bacteroidetes (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05) and significantly increased abundance of Actinobacteria at the phylum level, a significantly decreased abundance of Bacteroidaceae (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05) and significantly increased abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae at the family level and a significantly decreased abundance of <italic>Blautia</italic> and <italic>Bacteroides</italic> (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05) and significantly increased abundance of <italic>Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus</italic> and <italic>Roseburia</italic> at the genus level. Compared to the control group, the medicated group had decreased abundance, diversity, and genetic diversity of the communities and increased coverage, but the differences were not significant (<italic>P</italic> &gt; 0.05); the markers that differed significantly between communities at the genus level and influenced the differences between groups were <italic>Blautia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium</italic> and <italic>Lactobacillus</italic>.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>MG patients have obvious gut microbiota-associated metabolic disorders. Fufang Huangqi Decoction regulates the gut microbiota in patients with class I or II MG by reducing the abundance of <italic>Blautia</italic> and <italic>Bacteroides</italic> and increasing the abundance of <italic>Bifidobacterium</italic> and <italic>Lactobacillus</italic>. The correlation between gut microbiota and MG may be related to cell-mediated immunity.</p></sec>