Evaluation of the Correlation between Gut Microbiota and Renal Function in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has recently emerged as a significant, global public health threat, and the gut microbiota are now recognized as playing a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of CKD. In this study, we investigated the correlation between differential gut microbiota and renal function impairment by analyzing the structure, diversity, and other characteristics of the gut microbiota in patients with CKD. Our findings indicated that CKD patients exhibit decreased species diversity and evenness in their gut microbiota compared to healthy individuals, with notable differences in community composition between the groups. Among them, p_Actinobacteriota, p_Cyanobacteria, g_Faecalibacterium, g_Agathobacter, g_Roseburia, and g_Actinomyces were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while p_Acidobacteriota, g_Blautia, and g_Candidatus-Solibacter were significantly increased in CKD (p < 0.05). Furthermore, functional prediction results suggested that the differential pathways primarily involved metabolic pathways, including Carbohydrate Metabolism, Glycan Biosynthesis and Metabolism, Biosynthesis of Other Secondary Metabolites, Metabolism of Other Amino Acids, and pathways related to Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases. Meanwhile, correlation studies revealed a significant negative correlation between g_Actinomyces and serum uric acid levels (r = -0.426, p = 0.038), and a significant positive correlation between g_C. Solibacter and serum uric acid levels (r = 0.461, p = 0.023). This study highlights the significant differences in the composition and species abundance of gut microbiota between CKD patients and healthy individuals, while also demonstrating that the abundances of g_Actinomyces and g_C. Solibacter are correlated with serum uric acid levels, an indicator of renal function impairment.