Alteration of gut microbiota in association with cholesterol gallstone formation in mice

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiome exerts extensive roles in metabolism of nutrients, pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals. Little has been known for the role of gut microbiota in regulating cholesterol and bile acids in association with gallstone formation. This study investigated the changes in the composition of gut microbiota in mice fed with lithogenic diet (LD). METHODS: Adult male C57BL/6 J mice were fed with either lithogenic diet (1.25% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid) or chow diet as control for 56 days. The fecal microbiota were determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: LD led to formation of cholesterol gallstone in mice. The richness and alpha diversity of gut microbial reduced in mice fed with LD. Firmicutes was significantly decreased from 59.71% under chow diet to 31.45% under LD, P < 0.01, as well as the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. Differences in gut microbiota composition were also observed at phylum, family and genus levels between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that gut microbiota dysbiosis might play an important role in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone formation in mice. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12876-017-0629-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.