Abstract
Background: Gut microbiome composition may influence the risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture. Methods: This study analyzed the gut microbiota of 48 patients-24 with ruptured aneurysms (RA) and 24 with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA)-using next-generation sequencing. Results: While alpha diversity was similar between groups, beta diversity revealed significant taxonomic differences (Bray-Curtis: p = 0.02; unweighted UniFrac: p = 0.0291). Both groups were dominated by the phyla Bacillota, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria, but genus- and family-level differences were observed. RA patients showed higher abundances of Anaerotruncus, Coprobacillus, Sellimonas, Hungatella, and Ruthenibacterium, whereas UIA patients exhibited greater levels of Faecalibacterium, Brotolimicola, Clostridiaceae, Roseburia, and Agathobaculum. Linear discriminant analysis identified one class, 10 genera, and 17 species that differed significantly between groups. Notably, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Agathobaculum butyriciproducens-bacteria known for their anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties-were enriched in UIA patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that gut microbiota, particularly short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria, may contribute to vascular protection and aneurysm pathophysiology. Microbiome-based therapeutic strategies could offer new avenues for the prevention of cerebrovascular disease.
Keywords:
aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage; gut microbiome; short-chain fatty acids.