Loss of Diurnal Oscillatory Rhythms in Gut Microbiota Correlates with Progression of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Circadian rhythms in gut microbiota composition are crucial for metabolic function and disease progression, yet the diurnal oscillation patterns of gut microbiota in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and their role in disease progression remain unknown. Here, we investigate gut bacterial dynamics in ApoE-/- mice within a day, and elucidated the dynamic changes in fecal microbiota composition and function differences among C57BL/6 and ApoE-/- mice with standard chow diet or high-fat, high-cholesterol diet under ad libitum conditions. Compared with C57BL/6 mice, ApoE-/- mice exhibit significant differences in fecal microbial composition. Rhythmic analysis showed that the dynamic changes in the composition and function of fecal microbiota in ApoE-/- mice were significantly different from those in C57BL/6 mice. We further found that the rhythmic strains (Blautia Coccoides) inhibit the progression of ASCVD by improving the intestinal and endothelial barrier function. Our findings demonstrate that diurnal oscillations in gut microbiota are closely related to the progression of ASCVD, and provide a new insight for microbial-targeted therapies for ASCVD.