Fecal microbes, short chain fatty acids, and colorectal cancer across racial/ethnic groups

Christina M. Hester, Venkatakrishna R. Jala, Morgan G.I. Langille, Shahid Umar, K. Allen Greiner, Bodduluri Haribabu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

63 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: To investigate differences in microbes and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in stool samples from Hispanic and non-Hispanic African American, American Indian, and White participants. Methods: Stool samples from twenty participants were subjected to analysis for relative levels of viable bacteria and for SCFA levels. Additionally, the samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing for identification of bacteria present in the stool. We used a metagenome functional prediction technique to analyze genome copy numbers and estimate the abundance of butyrate kinase in all samples. Results: We found that African Americans had significantly lower levels of acetate, butyrate, and total SCFAs than all other racial/ethnic groups. We also found that participant microbial profiles differed by racial/ ethnic group. African Americans had significantly more Firmicutes than Whites, with enriched Ruminococcaceae . The Firmicutes /Bacteroidetes ratio was also significantly higher for African Americans than for Whites (P = 0.049). We found Clostridium levels to be significantly and inversely related to total SCFA levels (P = 0.019) and we found Bacteroides to be positively associated (P = 0.027) and Clostridium to be negatively associated (P = 0.012) with levels of butyrate. We also identified a correlation between copy number for a butyrate kinase predicted from 16S rRNA gene abundance and levels of butyrate in stool. Conclusion: The identified differences in gut flora and SCFA levels may relate to colorectal cancer mortality differentials and may be useful as targets for future clinical and behavioral interventions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2759-2769
Number of pages11
JournalWorld Journal of Gastroenterology
Volume21
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 7 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Gastroenterology

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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