Gut Microbiota and Metabolome Alterations Associated with Parkinson’s Disease
Sarah Vascellari, Vanessa Palmas, Marta Melis, Silvia Pisanu, Roberto Cusano, Paolo Uva, Daniela Perra, Veronica Madau, Marianna Sarchioto, Valentina Oppo, Nicola Simola, Micaela Morelli, Maria Laura Santoru, Luigi Atzori, Maurizio Melis, Giovanni Cossu, Aldo Manzin
Abstract
To our knowledge, this is one of the few studies thus far that correlates the composition of the gut microbiota with the direct analysis of fecal metabolites in patients with Parkinson's disease. Overall, our data highlight microbiota modifications correlated with numerous fecal metabolites. This suggests that Parkinson's disease is associated with gut dysregulation that involves a synergistic relationship between gut microbes and several bacterial metabolites favoring altered homeostasis. Interestingly, a reduction of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria influenced the shape of the metabolomics profile, affecting several metabolites with potential protective effects in the Parkinson group. On the other hand, the extensive impact that intestinal dysbiosis has at the level of numerous metabolic pathways could encourage the identification of specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease, also in light of the effect that specific drugs have on the composition of the intestinal microbiota.