Abstract
Background/Objectives: Gut microbiota has been implicated in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to identify associations between gut dysbiosis and MASLD, regarding body mass index (BMI) and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (SCA). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 202 patients with MASLD who had no previous history of CVD. The severity of MASLD was evaluated using a magnetic resonance imaging-based method, and SCA was measured by assessing coronary artery calcification (CAC). Gut microbiota was assessed in fecal specimens using sequencing targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: Our results demonstrated that gut microbial profiles between low- and high-BMI groups (<30 vs. ≥30 kg/m(2)) differed significantly in beta-diversity, but not in alpha-diversity indices. At the genus level, we identified Megamonas, Sutterella, Catenibacterium, and Odoribacter, enriched in the high BMI group. Compared to the low CAC group (<100 AU), MASLD patients with high CAC scores (≥100 AU) exhibited enrichment in Ruminococcus gnavus, Bacteroides, and Lachnoclostridium, along with depletion of several short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that older age, the presence of diabetes, high BMI, fibrosis stage F3-F4, and high plasma trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) levels were independently associated with a high CAC score in patients with MASLD. Conclusions: These data indicated that gut dysbiosis and related metabolites, in association with advanced liver disease, were potential contributors to the progression of SCA in obese patients with MASLD.