Background And Aims: Hypercholesterolemia is frequent in people with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC); however, it does not seem to confer an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in PBC women and its association with the gut-liver axis and systemic inflammation.

Methods: Thirty patients affected by PBC and hypercholesterolemia were enrolled, with equal-sized groups of women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and healthy controls (CTRL). All patients underwent Doppler ultrasound examination of peripheral arteries, assessment of flow-mediated dilation, quantification of circulating cytokines and vasoactive mediators and characterization of the gut microbiota.

Results: PBC patients had a higher prevalence of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) defined as atherosclerotic plaques in any of femoral, popliteal and/or tibial arteries compared with both NAFLD and CTRL women (83.3% vs. 53.3% and 50%, respectively; p = .01). Factors associated with LEAD at univariate analysis were VCAM-1 (p = .002), ICAM-1 (p = .003), and TNF-alpha (p = .04) serum levels, but only VCAM-1 (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1; p = .04) and TNF-alpha (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.99-1.26; p = .04) were confirmed as independent predictors in the multivariate model. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that Acidaminococcus (FDR = 0.0008), Bifidobacterium (FDR = 0.001) and Oscillospira (FDR = 0.03) were differentially expressed among groups. Acidaminococcus, which was increased in PBC, was positively correlated with TNF-alpha serum levels. Down-regulation of metabolic pathways linked to fatty acid and butyrate metabolism, glyoxylate metabolism and branched-chain amino acids degradation was found in the functional gut metagenome of PBC women.

Conclusions: LEAD is common in patients affected by PBC and is associated with inflammatory markers and alterations in the gut-liver axis.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10100232PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/liv.15463DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

gut-liver axis
12
prevalence lower
8
primary biliary
8
biliary cholangitis
8
arterial disease
8
patients pbc
8
serum levels
8
pbc
7
patients
5
high prevalence
4

Similar Publications

Cr(VI) is widely used in industry and has high toxicity, making it one of the most common environmental pollutants. Long-term exposure to Cr(VI) can cause metabolic disorders and tissue damage. However, the effects of Cr(VI) on liver and gut microbes in fish have rarely been reported.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diet-Microbiome-ENS connection: Impact of the Cafeteria Diet.

Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol

January 2025

Digestive Diseases, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States.

The interplay between diet-induced obesity and gastrointestinal dysfunction is an evolving area of research with far-reaching implications for understanding the gutbrain axis interactions. In their study, Ramírez-Maldonado et al. employ a cafeteria (CAF) diet model to investigate the effects on gut microbiota, enteric nervous system (ENS) integrity and function, and gastrointestinal motility in mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/purpose: Periodontitis is associated with systemic health. One of the underlying mechanisms is the translocation of periodontal pathogens, among which () is the most common. Here, we aimed to illustrate the biodistribution and dynamics of from gingiva to multiple organs through blood circulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

() infection is a known inducer of various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis, gastric ulcers, and gastric cancer. However, in recent years, research on the potential association between infection and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) has been scarce. This large-scale multicenter study, covering more than 360 hospitals across 26 medical systems in the United States, systematically evaluated the association between infection and MASH.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing global health concern which is driven by the increasing prevalence of diabetes and obesity. MAFLD is characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver, which encompasses a range of conditions, from simple hepatic steatosis to more severe forms. This condition is associated with various complications, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), liver cirrhosis, and even malignancy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!