Depletion of Blautia wexlerae and Parabacteroides distasonis in adiposity-related prehypertension
Open Access
- 29 June 2026
- journal article
- Published by Frontiers Media SA in Frontiers in Microbiology
- Vol. 17, 1873803
Abstract
Background: Prehypertension is more likely to develop into hypertension in individuals with adiposity. We aimed to explore how adiposity influences prehypertension through gut microbiota. Methods: Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression models were employed to evaluate the association between prehypertension and adiposity in 649 individuals. Among them, 197 consented to provide fecal samples and were divided, along with 184 additional participants, into healthy controls (HC), individuals with adiposity and normal tension (Ad-NT), and those with prehypertension (Ad-pHT) based on body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed on fecal samples, followed by taxonomic and functional annotations using MetaPhlAn and HUMAnN. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was used to analyze differences in microbial species and metabolic pathways across groups. Partial Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to assess microbial interactions, and the relationships among metabolic pathways, species, BMI, and blood pressure. Results: Elevated BMI independently predicted the risk of prehypertension (adjusted HR = 1.072, 95% CI: 1.002–1.147). We observed the depletion of Blautia wexlerae and Parabacteroides distasonis in populations with Ad-pHT. A multiclass logistic regression model distinguished individuals with Ad-pHT from HC and those with adiposity and normal tension (Ad-NT) (AUC = 0.704). Microbiota-microbiota interactions gradually become complex from HC to Ad-NT to Ad-pHT groups. Blautia wexlerae and Parabacteroides distasonis were associated with pathways involved in carbohydrate degradation (PWY-8004), fermentation (ANAEROFRUCAT-PWY), biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (PWY-6270), amino acid (ARGININE-SYN4-PWY), quinol and quinone (PWY-7992), and nucleoside and nucleotide (PWY-6700). Conclusion: Shifts in Blautia wexlerae and Parabacteroides distasonis , as well as their relationships with pathways (energy metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis), were observed in adiposity-related prehypertension. Blautia wexlerae and Parabacteroides distasonis might represent promising candidates for next-generation probiotics targeting weight management and blood pressure reduction, which require validation in clinical studies.Keywords
This publication has 53 references indexed in Scilit:
- Gut Dysbiosis as a Shared Mechanism in Obesity and Hypertension: Exploring a Promising Therapeutic AvenueEndocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, 2026
- Biogenesis and roles of tRNA queuosine modification and its glycosylated derivatives in human health and diseasesCell Chemical Biology, 2024
- Potential Applications of Blautia wexlerae in the Regulation of Host MetabolismProbiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, 2024
- Wekemo Bioincloud: A user‐friendly platform for meta‐omics data analysesiMeta, 2024
- Obesity and hypertension: Obesity medicine association (OMA) clinical practice statement (CPS) 2023Obesity Pillars, 2023
- The global human gut microbiome: genes, lifestyles, and dietTrends in Molecular Medicine, 2023
- Fecal microbiota transplantation in obesity metabolism: A meta analysis and systematic reviewDiabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 2023
- Multi-omic analyses identify mucosa bacteria and fecal metabolites associated with weight loss after fecal microbiota transplantationThe Innovation, 2022
- Effects of Resistant Starch on Symptoms, Fecal Markers, and Gut Microbiota in Parkinson’s Disease — The RESISTA-PD TrialGenomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, 2021
- Parabacteroides distasonis Alleviates Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunctions via Production of Succinate and Secondary Bile AcidsCell Reports, 2019