Obesity phenotypes: potential markers associated with the gut microbiome

Objective: to study the compositional features of the intestinal microbiome at the level of certain microbial species in the intestine using NGS sequencing of bacterial DNA for the 16S rRNA gene in patients with different metabolic phenotypes of obesity.

Materials and methods: ninety-five patients (17 men and 78 women, mean age 50.4±4.3 years) were examined. Two groups were formed: group 1 (n=40) — patients with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), group 2 (n=55) — patients with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO). The intestinal microbiome was studied using metagenomic analysis. Sequencing of the v3-v4 variable region of the 16S rRNA gene was performed from fecal samples after DNA isolation.

Results: statistically significant (p<0.05) differences in the quantitative indices of certain microbial species in the colon were found between patients with metabolically healthy obesity and those with metabolically unhealthy obesity. Patients with metabolically healthy obesity had higher levels of F. prausnitzii in their intestinal microbiomes compared to those with metabolically unhealthy obesity.

Conclusions: the intestinal microbiomes of patients with metabolically healthy obesity and those with metabolically unhealthy obesity differed at the species level for certain microbial taxa.

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