AUTHOR=Gao Bei , Emami Atoosa , Zhou Rongrong , Lang Sonja , Duan Yi , Wang Yanhan , Jiang Lu , Loomba Rohit , Brenner David A. , Stärkel Peter , Schnabl Bernd TITLE=Functional Microbial Responses to Alcohol Abstinence in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=11 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00370 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.00370 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with hepatic steatosis and dysregulation of the gut microbiota in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, how gut microbiota responds when patients stop drinking has not been well studied. In this study, we use shotgun metagenomic sequencing to elucidate the alterations in the functional capacity of gut microbiota in patients with AUD when they stop drinking for 2-weeks. Sensitive microbial pathways to alcohol abstinence were identified in AUD patients. Further, we found the functional microbial responses to alcohol abstinence were different in AUD patients with different degree of hepatic steatosis. Our results provide insights into the link between functional alterations of the gut microbiota and steatosis associated with alcohol consumption.