Impact of altered gut microbiota in multiple system atrophy

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K08001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52020:Neurology-related
• Research Institution: Iwate Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Maeda Tetsuya 岩手医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (70359496)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大野 欽司 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (80397455)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 多系統萎縮症 / 腸内細菌叢

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are both α-synucleinopathies. While PD is characterized by abnormal microbiota, MSA is less well studied. In this study, we enrolled 18 patients with MSA and their cohabitants, performed 16S rRNA analysis by next-generation sequencing, and analyzed bacterial composition using Qiime2. Samples with a non-zero relative abundance ratio of at least 20% for each bacterium at the genus level were included in this analysis. We could obtain microbiota from 12 patients with MSA and compare to 147 healthy subjects. After the Wilcoxon rank sum test and adjustment by Bonferroni test, only genus Eubacterium showed a significant increase in MSA. Genus Akkermansia, which is increased in PD, showed an increasing trend in MSA. Genera Faecalibacterium and Fusicatenibacter, which are decreased in PD, showed a decreasing trend in MSA. The results of this study suggest that MSA may have a specific abnormal microbiota different from PD.

Free Research Field

脳神経内科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

パーキンソン病（PD）と多系統萎縮症（MSA）はαシヌクレインが関与する運動障害疾患である。PDでは発症に腸内細菌叢の関与が指摘されている一方、MSAは便秘を高頻度に合併するが腸内細菌叢研究は乏しい。本研究によりMSAではgenus Eubacteriumが有意差に増加することが分かった。PDで増加するgenus AkkermansiaはMSAでも増加傾向で、PDで減少するgenera Faecalibacterium、Fusicatenibacterは減少傾向であった。MSAにはPDとは異なる特有の腸内細菌叢が存在することが示され、MSAの病態解明および治療法の開発に重要な知見が得られた。