<i>Clostridium butyricum</i> affects nutrition and immunology by modulating gut microbiota

Abstract

The gut microbiota has nutritional and protective functions. In patients with end-stage renal disease, changes in the gut microbiota disrupt their protective functions. Probiotics help maintain normal bowel function. However, their role in patients with end-stage renal disease is controversial. We investigated whether Clostridium butyricum affects the nutrition and immune function of patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing maintenance dialysis between 2014 and 2015; thirty-seven patients were included. The patients were divided into two groups: one in which Clostridium butyricum was administered and one in which it was not. One tablet of MIYA-BM®, which contained 20 mg of Clostridium butyricum, was administered orally three times daily for 2 years in the Clostridium butyricum group. The 16S rRNA genes were sequenced from stool samples of 14 (37.8%) patients in the Clostridium butyricum group and 23 (62.2%) patients in the control group. The differences in the gut microbiota of the two groups were analyzed. The α-diversity index indicated that the Clostridium butyricum group had significantly more operational taxonomic units and higher albumin and transferrin levels than the control group. The effector to target cell ratio was significantly higher in the Clostridium butyricum group. In addition, interleukin-6 levels were significantly lower in the Clostridium butyricum group, and inflammation was less severe in this group. The patients undergoing maintenance dialysis with Clostridium butyricum had abundant gut microbiota. They also had a good nutritional status, low systemic inflammation, and a good immunological status.