Gut microbiome functionality might be associated with exercise tolerance and recurrence of resected early-stage lung cancer patients

PLoS One. 2021 Nov 18;16(11):e0259898. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259898. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Impaired exercise tolerance and lung function is a marker for increased mortality in lung cancer patients undergoing lung resection surgery. Recent data suggest that the gut-lung axis regulates systemic metabolic and immune functions, and microbiota might alter exercise tolerance. Here, we aimed to evaluate the associations between gut microbiota and outcomes in lung cancer patients who underwent lung resection surgery. We analysed stool samples, from 15 early-stage lung cancer patients, collected before and after surgical resection using shotgun metagenomic and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing. We analysed microbiome and mycobiome associations with post-surgery lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to assess the maximum level of work achieved. There was a significant difference, between pre- and post-surgical resection samples, in microbial community functional profiles and several species from Alistipes and Bacteroides genus, associated with the production of SCFAs, increased significantly in abundance. Interestingly, an increase in VO2 coincides with an increase in certain species and the "GABA shunt" pathway, suggesting that treatment outcome might improve by enriching butyrate-producing species. Here, we revealed associations between specific gut bacteria, fungi, and their metabolic pathways with the recovery of lung function and exercise capacity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
  • Exercise Test
  • Exercise Tolerance*
  • Fungi / classification
  • Fungi / physiology
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / microbiology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / physiopathology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / surgery
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
  • Respiratory Function Tests

Grants and funding

We acknowledge funding from the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (OTKA #124652 and OTKA #129664). GP and AMS would like to thank the DFG under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2051 – Project ID 390713860 for funding. ZL was supported by the 2018 LCFA/IASLC Young Investigator Scholarship Award. MiRanostics Consulting provided support in the form of salaries for author GJW, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the “author contributions” section.