Imbalance of gut microbiota in gestational diabetes

Aim: To investigate the differences in gut microbiota composition among nonpregnant women of reproductive age, healthy pregnant women, and gestational diabetes (GD) patients.

Methods: A total of 45 outpatients were enrolled and divided into three groups: nonpregnant women of reproductive age (control group, n = 23), healthy pregnant women (normal group, n = 10), and GD patients (GD group, n = 12). Faecal samples were collected and sequenced using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyse the microbial composition.

Results: (1) Pregnant patients exhibited an increase in the abundance of Streptococcus (P_normal = 0.01286, P_GD = 0.002965) and Blautia (P_normal = 0.0003924, P_GD = 0.000246) but a decrease in the abundance of Roseburia (P_normal = 0.0361, P_GD = 0.007075), Phascolarctobacterium (P_normal = 0.0003906, P_GD = 0.02499) and Lachnoclostridium (P_normal = 0.0003906, P_GD = 0.03866). (2) Compared with healthy pregnant women, GD patients had an excessive increase in Streptococcus abundance and decrease in Roseburia abundance. The increase in Blautia abundance and the decrease in Phascolarctobacterium and Lachnoclostridium abundance in GD patients were less than those in healthy pregnant women. (3) The abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii decreased significantly in GD patients (P_GD = 0.02985) but not in healthy pregnant patients (P_normal = 0.1643).

Conclusions: Abnormal increases and decreases in the abundances of gut microbiota components, especially Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, were observed in GD patients.

Trial registration: The cross-sectional research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Clinical Trials and Biomedical Ethics Committee. The study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900026164, 24/09/2019, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=43,455 ).