Gut Microbiota-heart Axis Research

Gut microbiota, consists of various bacteria, viruses and microbial eukaryotes, plays an essential role in the maintenance of host homeostasis and impacts virtually all systems in the body. In millions of years of co-evolution history, humans and gut microbiota have developed a close and interactive relationship, and a wide spectrum of host disorders might happen when gut microbiota dysbiosis occurs.

The gut microbiota dysbiosis has been identified as a possible risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) including the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and heart failure. The gut microbiota turbulence and bacterial translocation that might correlate with a disrupted gut epithelial barrier are associated with the development of CVD. Alterations in microbiota composition and metabolic activities may contribute to the changes in host physiological functions either in a negative way as a pathogenic trigger or positive as an attractive method for treatment. As is a nonnegligible regulator of heart health, the gut-heart axis demands more intensive studies.

Figure 1. The concept of a heart-gut axis. In patients with heart failure, microcirculatory disturbances result in gut epithelial dysfunction. (Kamo 2017)

Our knowledge about the intrinsic mechanisms of the gut microbiota-heart interaction and potential therapeutic options for gut microbiota-associated heart failure is just starting to take shape, and the current multi-omics era promises rapid progress at the global level towards mechanisms of how the gut-heart axis may be connected.

CD Genomics is a preeminent corporation that specializes in multi-omics. Equipped with state-of-the-art techniques and served by well-experienced scientists, we have extensive experience dealing with all kinds of difficulties you may have encountered in your research, and we will provide powerful tools and the most valid solutions to support your gut microbiota and heart research from the following multiple views:

Gut Microbiota Composition:

Advances in culture-independent approaches provide a comprehensive view of the gut microbiota. The association between gut microbial dysbiosis and heart failure can be unveiled from gut microbiota compositions by scrutinizing metagenomic information through various next-generation sequencing and gene array approaches. Gut microbiota profiles vary substantially among healthy individuals and CVD patients according to multiple factors especially age differences. And alternation in the composition of gut microbiota may indicate the tendency of cardiovascular health conditions. We provide a wide range of technologies for gut microbiota composition profiling. Our specialty lies in multi-omics analysis mainly by state-of-the-art detecting methods coupled with bioinformatics analysis platforms. We provide all kinds of sequencing and gene array technologies to profile target sequences, (meta)genome, and (meta)transcriptome of all types of microbes, in order to offer the most comprehensive information on the microbiota composition of different individuals across gut-heart axis:

• Amplicon sequencing
• Whole-genome sequencing
• Metagenomic sequencing
• Virome sequencing
• DNA microarray
• Metatranscriptomics solutions

Gut Microbiota Metabolism:

Gut microbiota plays an essential role in the host homeostasis through a wide variety of metabolites that complement host physiological processes, which may also influence heart health conditions. For example, hepatic produced trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) from gut microbiota-derived TMA will enhance cardiovascular risk, and these substances can work as predictors of atherosclerosis and CVD; the interplay of the gut microbiota with bile acid metabolites also affects the pathogenesis of heart disorders. Thus, research into gut microbiota metabolism will undoubtedly bring more insights into pathogenesis mechanisms and heart care solutions.

We provide functional analysis of all kinds of intestinal metabolites and key substances by cutting-edge technologies including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS) and many other efficient equipment, in order to investigate the physiological status of both the microbiota and the hosts, identify various potential biomarkers, map unique metabolome fingerprints of specific cellular processes, determine specific pathways, and unveil fundamental mechanisms of dysbiosis and related diseases.

• Metaproteomics solutions
• Metabolomics solutions

Link with Fitness and Diseases:

Gut microbiota may involve with pathophysiological processes of quite some cardiovascular diseases including the progression of atherosclerosis and heart failure. The link may be established through multiple factors such as host age, diet, hormone secretion, immune system functions, gut epithelial dysfunction and of course the microbiota side ones including dysbiosis, bacteria translocation, and the production of key metabolites. A better understanding of the interplay between the gut microbiota with the cardiovascular system will definitely promote the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular diseases. We provide solutions including comprehensive multi-omics techniques, powerful bioinformatics, and a variety of model organisms to address these issues:

• Bioinformatics analysis
• Model organisms for gut microbiota research

Potential Therapeutic Options

Novel therapeutic methods through targeting gut microbiota are under intensive investigation. Modulation of the gut microbiota as a mechanism for altering the pathogenesis of disorders is an area of growing interest and promising outcome, and in the era of precision medicine, personalized characterization of gut microbiota in patients may be useful for individualized risk stratification and treatment decisions. The potential therapeutic options vary from probiotics, prebiotics, targeting the bacterial LPS, and fecal transplantation. We have extensive experience and can provide you with multi-omics solutions related to gut microbiota-heart axis research.

CD Genomics dedicates to providing the highest level of service in gut microbiota research. We will offer the most suitable strategies according to your sample and research purpose. To find out more about the services we offer for gut microbiota and heart research, please feel free to contact us.

*For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.