Effect of Antibiotics on Gut Microbiome and Plasma Metabolome
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2017-12-15
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
In recent years it has been observed that the gut microbiome can produce metabolites into
systemic circulation and thus have important health effects even outside the gastrointestinal
system. These metabolites may play a role in the pathogenesis of common public health
problems such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disorders. Modern techniques of mass
spectrometry-based metabolomics from peripheral blood and gut metagenome sequencing now
enable detailed examination of these processes. Using samples from the FINRISK 2002 cohort,
collected by the National Institute for Health and Welfare, we are currently determining the
gut microbiome and plasma metabolome from > 7000 participants with 15 years of follow-up for
various health outcomes. This is one of the largest materials of its kind world-wide. The
design does not, however, allow us to draw causal conclusions on the roles of gut bacteria in
the composition of plasma metabolome. To enable conclusions which go beyond statistical
associations, we now propose an extension to the FINRISK 2002 study, where we alter the gut
bacteriome with a short course of antibiotics and then examine whether a change in plasma
metabolomics profile will follow. At the same time the trial will give important novel
information about the effects of commonly used antibiotics on gut bacteriome and on general
health.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
Collaborators:
Brigham and Women's Hospital University of California, San Diego