Gut microbiota and their metabolites in cardiovascular disease

The gut microbiome affects the development and progress of various types of disease such as obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and arterial thrombosis. Gut microbiome derived metabolites have been established to be predictive of arterial thrombosis in epidemiological studies. In these studies atherosclerosis and prothrombotic effect cannot be distinguished but preclinical studies show gut derived metabolites can induce platelet hyperreactivity and increase thrombotic potential. Gut commensals can also influence platelets through serotonin synthesis and may enhance Von Willebrand factor production. The effects on secondary haemostasis are less studied. In antiphospholipid syndrome, a thrombotic auto-immune disorder, autoreactive T cells and antibodies cross-react with auto-antigen mimicking peptides from gut commensals which appears to contribute to the pathophysiology. This review focusses on the prothrombotic effect of the gut microbiome and aims to provide insight into its influence on thromboembolic disease and the haemostatic system.