INFLUENCE OF THE FEEDING TYPE DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE ON THE METABOLIC PROFILES OF THE INTESTINAL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF OBESE AND NORMAL-WEIGHT CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS RESIDING IN THE ROSTOV OBLAST OF RUSSIA

Abstract

Purpose of the research was to assess the metabolic profiles of the intestinal microbiome of children and adolescents with normal body weight and obesity taking into consideration the feeding type. Materials and methods used: a single-center, single-stage study of 188 children aged 10 to 18 years old (13.0 [11.0; 15.0] y/o), 103 (54.8%) boys/85 (45.2%) girls, who were divided into 2 groups: G1 (n=96) of healthy children and adolescents without obesity (19 (19.8%) on natural feeding/36 (37.5%) on artificial feeding/41 (42.7%) on mixed feeding); and G2 (n=92) of children and adolescents who were diagnosed with obesity (28 (30.4%)/13 (14.1%) and 51 (55.4%), accordingly). Bacterial DNA was isolated from fecal samples followed by sequencing of the variable region v3-v4 of 16S rRNA. PICRUSt2 was used to determine the metabolic profiles of the gut microbiota. Results and discussion: 358 metabolic pathways were reconstructed in the intestinal microbiome of children and adolescents. In obese children and adolescents, 47 metabolic pathways (12.13%) were decreased and only 3 (0.84%) were increased. There was a statistically significant decrease (p<0.05) in the anabolic processes of carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid and nucleotide metabolism in the intestinal microbiome of obese children. Metabolic pathways, whose content was statistically significantly increased in obesity, are of particular interest: thus, there was an increase in the pathways of glycogen II degradation (p=0.006), degradation of biogenic amines (p˂0.001), biosynthesis of UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine I (p=0.045). The microbiota of obese children and adolescents was characterized by a statistically significantly lower potential for the synthesis of essential amino acids - arginine, histidine and lysine, the synthesis of terpenes and terpene-like vitamins K and E, as well as vitamins B1 and folic acid. The study revealed that in healthy children and adolescents, the feeding type during the first year of life affects the content of 20 pathways in the metabolic profiles of the intestinal microbiome. Conclusion: the metabolic profiles of the intestinal microbiota change in children with obesity. It was also revealed that the feeding type represents the effect of programming of the metabolic capabilities of the intestinal microbiome in subsequent periods of ontogenesis.