Changes of Th17/Treg ratio and tongue coating microbiota in autoimmune liver disease patients with type D personality

Abstract

Abstract Background Autoimmune liver disease (AILD) is an important immune-mediated liver disorder that may gradually progress to severe liver fibrosis without timely medical intervention. Previous studies have indicated that patients with type D personality are unlikely to seek consultation and adhere to medications, and are more prone to depression, clinicians should actively identify AILD patients with type D personality. This study aimed to determine the changes of Th17/Treg ratio and tongue coating microbiota in AILD patients with type D personality. Methods Twenty-four AILD patients were investigated and divided into two groups based on the standardized psychological DS14 questionnaire. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the ratio of Th17 to Treg cells, tongue coating samples were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and then data analysis and statistical analysis were performed. Results AILD patients with type D personality had a significantly higher Th17/Treg ratio than those with non-type D personality. There were no massive contrasts in microbial diversity between type D personality group and non-type D personality group according to the alpha diversity analysis. However, microbial composition of the two groups varied according to Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and Venn diagram analysis. Linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis showed that Melissococcus and Lachnoanaerobaculum were dominant in type D personality group, while short-chain fatty acid-related bacteria (Clostridium and Blautia) and Actinobacillus were enriched in non-type D personality group. Conclusion Type D personality may be a related risk factor for AILD, while the composition of tongue microbiota may be useful in aiding the diagnosis of the severity of AILD patients.