Berberine May Correct Corticosteroid Resistance Induced By Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Immune Thrombocytopenia
Abstract
Introduction
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by abnormal immune response. Though many therapies have been used, corticosteroid-resistance remains to be a challenge clinically. Extensive research has improved our understanding of ITP, showing that environmental factors affect the disease profile, such as Helicobacter pylori being proven to be associated with thrombocytopenia. Though evidence that the gut microbiota contributes to the development of auto-immune disorders is accumulating, there is no information available on relationship between gut microbiome and ITP. Berberine(BBR), a traditional compound isolated from a Chinese herb, has been widely used as a nonprescription drug to treat diarrhea. Recently, BBR has been reported to modulate microbiota structures, which contributes to improving metabolic disorders. Here, we hypothesized that BBR might modulate gut microbiota to treat ITP.
Methods
In order to investigate the relationship between gut microbiome and ITP, we performed deep shotgun sequencing on 253 fecal samples totally from consecutive ITP patients and healthy controls. Metagenome-wide association study (MWAS) was conducted, and clinical characteristics of patients were collected to analyze the correlation with gut microbiome (Nan Qin, et al. Nature. 2012). Certainly, a clinical cohort study was performed to assess the efficacy of BBR in corticosteroid-resistant ITP patients. To better characterize the role of gut…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
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