Association of gut microbiota with idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Background The prevalence of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is increasing worldwide and the gut microbiota is recognized to play a role in its pathology. The aim of this study was to understand the involvement of the gut-kidney axis in IMN by analyzing the composition of the gut microbiota of biopsy-proven IMN patients compared with healthy controls (HC). Methods Fecal samples from 30 patients with IMN diagnosed by renal biopsy and 30 healthy co-residents (control group) were collected for analysis in the Nephrology Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. The microbiota composition was analyzed by a 16S rRNA microbial profiling approach. Results The results indicated that the alpha- and beta-diversity of IMN patients differed significantly from those of the HC groups (P < 0.05). At the phylum level, IMN patients showed an increased abundance of Proteobacteria but a reduced abundance of Bacteroidota compared with the HC group. Actinobacteriota abundance showed a strong negative correlation with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. At the genus level, Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter, and Bacteroides were less abundant in the IMN group than in the HC group (LDA score > 2). Abundant bacterial functions related to lipid metabolism were observed among IMN group. Conclusion Patients with IMN appear to have an altered gut microbiome, which could provide reference for future research on the interaction mechanism between the intestinal flora and IMN.