Metabolic alterations in patients with Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis: The H. pylori-gut microbiota-metabolism axis in progression of the chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa

Purpose

To characterize the serum metabolism in patients with Helicobacter pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative gastritis.

Methods

Clinical data and serum gastric function parameters, PGI (pepsinogen I), PGII, PGR (PGI/II), and G-17 (gastrin-17) of 117 patients with chronic gastritis were collected, including 57 H. pylori positive and 60 H. pylori negative subjects. Twenty cases in each group were randomly selected to collect intestinal mucosa specimens and serum samples. The gut microbiota profiles were generated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the serum metabolites were analyzed by a targeted metabolomics approach based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) technology.

Results

Altered expression of 20 metabolites, including isovaleric acid, was detected in patients with HPAG. Some taxa of Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, and Prevotella in the gut microbiota showed significant correlations with differentially expressed metabolites between H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative individuals. As a result, an H. pylori-gut microbiota-metabolism (HGM) axis was proposed.

Conclusion

Helicobacter pylori infection may influence the progression of mucosal diseases and the emergence of other complications in the host by altering the gut microbiota, and thus affecting the host serum metabolism.