FEATURES OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA IN PATIENTS WITH NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: EFFECTS ON MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND HEPATIC STEATOSIS

The aim: To study the state of the intestinal microbiota (ІМ) in patients with Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and to determine changes in its composition at the level of basic phylotypes.Materials and methods: The study included 114 patients with NAFLD with metabolic disorders and 64 patients of control group. Determination of the composition of the ІМ at the level of major phylotypes was performed by identifying total bacterial DNA and DNA of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in real time (qRT-PCR) using universal primers for the 16S rRNA gene and taxon-specific primers of production (Thermo Fisher Scientific).Results: It was defined the weak correlation between the content of Firmicutes and proinflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP) and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha) (p <0.05) and inverse correlation of CRP with the content of Bacteroidetes (p <0.001). Also have been observed significant changes in the main intestinal phyla in the direction of increasing the content of Firmicutes in patients with NAFLD with a high degree of steatosis and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines (p <0.05).Conclusions: IM imbalance leads to excessive synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, promotes the activation of cellular mechanisms, which increases the flow of fatty acids into hepatocytes and increases the degree of hepatic steatosis.