OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between intestinal microbiota (IM) composition (up to genus) and extracellular matrix volume (ECV) assessed by myocardial T1 mapping in patients with chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (CHF-pEF).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Forty-two patients (57.1% males) aged 67.0 [64.0; 71.5] years old with left ventricular CHF-pEF were included in the study. IM analysis was performed by 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequencing. The extracellular matrix volume was assessed using a General Electric Optima MR 450w GEM tomograph. Myocardial mapping was performed using the 2D MOLLI imaging technique. Mapping results were calculated in semi-automated mode with correction by hematocrit value. Correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis between intestinal bacterial genera and ECV data were performed.

RESULTS

The mean ECV according to T1 mapping data was 31.0±4.3%. The direct relation between relative abundance of genera Holdemania (r=0.4), Victivallis (r=0.38), Dehalobacterium (r=0.38), Enterococcus (r=0.33), Catabacter (r=0.32), unclassified genera of families Mogibacteriaceae (r=0.42), Peptostreptococcaceae (r=0.31) and ECV value, and also inverse relation of abundance of genera Blautia (r= –0.43), Faecalibacterium (r= –0.35), Lachnoclostridium (r= –0.32) with ECV (p<0.05) was observed. Multivariate regression analysis determined a direct relationship between the relative abundance of the genus Butyricimonas and the ECV value in CHF-pEF (normalized coefficient of 0.416; p=0.004).

CONCLUSION

The low abundance of intestinal bacteria that are major producers of butyrate was due to a high volume of the extracellular matrix, according to myocardial T1 mapping data. The results provide an insight into the relationship of IM composition with the CHF-pEF pathogenesis.