AUTHOR=He Hanchang , Xu Haoming , Xu Jing , Zhao Hailan , Lin Qianyun , Zhou Youlian , Nie Yuqiang 

TITLE=Sodium Butyrate Ameliorates Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Lupus-Like Mice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2020.604283

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2020.604283

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>Gut microbiota has a strong influence on the onset and development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of microbiota-derived butyrate to ameliorate SLE. However, the roles of butyrate on gut microbiota in SLE are not understood. Using MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice, we examined gut microbiota profiles after butyrate treatment by 16S rRNA sequencing. Alterations in intestinal microbiome in mice with lupus-like disease were mainly characterized by a reduction in microbial diversity, with an increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and a decrease of Firmicutes. Treatment of lupus-prone mice with butyrate resulted in increased abundance of Firmicutes (<italic>P</italic> = 0.003), Clostridia (<italic>P</italic> = 0.005), Clostridiales (<italic>P</italic> = 0.005), <italic>Lachnospiraceae</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.009), <italic>Ruminococcaceae</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.021), <italic>Peptostreptococcaceae</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.021), <italic>Ruminiclostridium</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.016), <italic>Oscillibacter</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.048), <italic>Romboutsia</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.025), <italic>Lachnoclostridium</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.012), <italic>Coprococcus</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.015), <italic>Ruminococcus</italic> (<italic>P</italic> = 0.011), <italic>Clostridium leptum</italic> (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05), and <italic>Dorea_spp</italic>. (<italic>P</italic> = 0.019), and a reduced proportion of Bacteroidetes (<italic>P</italic> = 0.004), Bacteroidia (<italic>P</italic> = 0.004), and Bacteroidales (<italic>P</italic> = 0.004). Further, butyrate supplementation could ameliorate kidney damage. Overall, this study suggests that gut microbiota alterations occur in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice following treatment with butyrate. Butyrate supplementation ameliorated gut microbiota dysbiosis. These findings support the use of butyrate and butyrate-producing bacteria as potential treatments for SLE.</p>