Gut microbiota and serum metabolic profiles in patients with sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy and their association with the disease.
The pathogenesis of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) remains unclear, and the lack of effective treatment options results in high mortality rates. There may be interactions between gut microbiota dysbiosis, serum metabolic changes, and SIC; however, research in this area is limited. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for targeted interventions to improve the gut microbiome, thereby enhancing cardiac function and prognosis in patients with SIC.
This prospective cohort study enrolled 48 septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary general hospital in Ningxia, China, between March 2024 and March 2025. Patients were stratified into SIC (n=28) and SEPSIS (n=20) groups. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC, n=10) were also recruited. Fecal samples from all three groups were analyzed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and serum samples from the SIC and SEPSIS groups were analyzed via LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics. Spearman's correlations linked microbial and metabolic alterations to echocardiographic parameters and myocardial injury markers.
Compared with the SEPSIS and HC groups, the SIC group presented significant differences in both the α and β diversity of the gut microbiota (all P<0.05). Compared with that in the SEPSIS group, the Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio was significantly lower in the SIC group (P<0.05); compared with the SEPSIS and HC groups, the SIC group presented significantly increased abundances of genera such as Parabacteroides and Clostridium innocuum group and significantly decreased abundances of genera such as Oscillospiraceae_UCG-003 and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-004 (all P<0.05). Forty-nine differential metabolites were identified (VIP≥1, P<0.05): hippuric acid, estrone glucuronide, and TMAO were elevated, while 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 was reduced in the SIC group (all P<0.05). Differential genera/metabolites correlated strongly with SIC diagnostic indicators: e.g., Parabacteroides positively correlated with estrone glucuronide, hippuric acid, and GLS, and negatively with LVEF.
Gut microbiota dysbiosis differs between patients with Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy and healthy individuals or patients with sepsis. Additionally, the serum metabolic profile changes in SIC patients differ from those in patients with sepsis, and these characteristic changes are significantly associated with clinical indicators related to the diagnosis of SIC.
This prospective cohort study enrolled 48 septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary general hospital in Ningxia, China, between March 2024 and March 2025. Patients were stratified into SIC (n=28) and SEPSIS (n=20) groups. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC, n=10) were also recruited. Fecal samples from all three groups were analyzed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and serum samples from the SIC and SEPSIS groups were analyzed via LC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics. Spearman's correlations linked microbial and metabolic alterations to echocardiographic parameters and myocardial injury markers.
Compared with the SEPSIS and HC groups, the SIC group presented significant differences in both the α and β diversity of the gut microbiota (all P<0.05). Compared with that in the SEPSIS group, the Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio was significantly lower in the SIC group (P<0.05); compared with the SEPSIS and HC groups, the SIC group presented significantly increased abundances of genera such as Parabacteroides and Clostridium innocuum group and significantly decreased abundances of genera such as Oscillospiraceae_UCG-003 and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-004 (all P<0.05). Forty-nine differential metabolites were identified (VIP≥1, P<0.05): hippuric acid, estrone glucuronide, and TMAO were elevated, while 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 was reduced in the SIC group (all P<0.05). Differential genera/metabolites correlated strongly with SIC diagnostic indicators: e.g., Parabacteroides positively correlated with estrone glucuronide, hippuric acid, and GLS, and negatively with LVEF.
Gut microbiota dysbiosis differs between patients with Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy and healthy individuals or patients with sepsis. Additionally, the serum metabolic profile changes in SIC patients differ from those in patients with sepsis, and these characteristic changes are significantly associated with clinical indicators related to the diagnosis of SIC.