EC Paediatrics

Research Article Volume 12 Issue 9 - 2023

Gut Microbiota and Chronic Liver Disease in Children

Galina Vasilyevna Volynets1*, Alexander Sergeevich Potapov2, Artyom Vyacheslavovich Nikitin1,3, Vasilisa Valerievna Dudurich4, Lavrenty Glebovich Danilov5 and Tamara Andreevna Skvortsova1,3

1Veltischev Research and Clinical Institute for Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow,Russia
2Gastroenterology with the Hepatological Group, National Research Center for Children's Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
3Gastroenterological, Morozov Children’s Municipal Clinical Hospital of the Moscow City Health Department, Moscow, Russia
4Head of the Microbiome, Laboratory "CERBALAB", St. Petersburg, Russia
5Genetics and Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

*Corresponding Author: Galina Vasilyevna Volynets, Chief Researcher of the Department of Gastroenterology of the Veltischev Research and Clinical Institute for Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Professor Department of Innovative Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery Faculty of Additional Professional Education Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
Received: July 06, 2023; Published: August 25, 2023




Background: The study of the significance of the "liver-gut" axis and the influence of the intestinal microbiota on the formation of chronic liver diseases in children is extremely important.

Aim: To investigate the taxonomic diversity of the gut microbiota in children with chronic liver diseases compared with healthy patients, to identify differences in bacterial diversity in autoimmune and non-autoimmune liver diseases, as well as the impact of immunosuppressive therapy on the intestinal microbiota.

Methods: A metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiota of 24 children with chronic liver diseases (mean age 10.3 ± 4.7 years) was carried out with the identification of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The group included 18 children with autoimmune liver diseases and 6 children with non-autoimmune liver diseases. The control group consisted of fecal samples of 34 apparently healthy children.

Results: When comparing fecal samples of children with autoimmune liver diseases with samples of healthy children, the taxa of Bacteroides dorei, Collinsella aerofaciens, Ruminococcus caffidurs prevailed, and for children of the control group - Neisseria flavescens.

When comparing samples of patients with non-autoimmune liver diseases and the control group, it was found that the taxa Bacteroides fragilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bifidobacterium longum prevailed in healthy children.

When comparing fecal samples from children with autoimmune and non-autoimmune liver diseases, it was found that Veillonella dispar, Cloacibacillus porcorum, Veillonella parvula, Prevotella histicola and Bacteroides eggerthii taxa dominate in patients with non-autoimmune diseases. No dominant taxa of the gut microbiota were found in children with autoimmune liver diseases.

In patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy, the taxa Veillonella dispar, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia inulinivorans, Bacteroides xylanisolvens, and Alistipes obesi predominate, while in patients not receiving immunosuppressive therapy, the taxa Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens, Bacteroides ovatus, Solobacterium moorei and Holdemanella massilien predominate.

Conclusion: A study of the gut microbiota in children with chronic liver disease shows differences in gut microbiota imbalance compared to published findings in adults. The study of the gut microbiota can become an alternative to histological examination in the diagnosis and choice of tactics for the treatment of liver diseases. The gut microbiota model is capable of distinguishing autoimmune liver diseases from non-autoimmune diseases. Immunosuppressive therapy is accompanied by the dominance of taxa that reduce the production of short-chain fatty acids.

Keywords: Gut Microbiota; Children; Chronic Liver Disease; Autoimmune Liver Disease; Non-Autoimmune Liver Disease; Immunosuppressive Therapy

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Galina Vasilyevna Volynets., et al. Gut Microbiota and Chronic Liver Disease in Children. EC Paediatrics 12.9 (2023): 01-13.

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