Differences of gut microbiota in Han nationality hypertension patients living in the Yunnan Plateau based on 16S rDNA sequencing

Objective: To analyze the differences of intestinal flora between newly diagnosed hypertension patients and healthy individuals of Han nationality living in Yunnan Plateau based on 16S rDNA sequencing technology. Methods: In the Han population of Yongsheng County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province, 23 Han patients newly diagnosed with hypertension (Group H), 13 patients in the hypertension medication group (Group HM), and 26 healthy participants in Group C were selected based on the baseline survey data of the Chinese Multi-ethnic Cohort (CMEC). Blood and fecal samples from the three study groups were collected for blood biochemical index detection and 16S rDNA sequencing technology analysis. Results: The α-diversity results showed that intestinal flora richness in group H was decreased compared with group C (P=0.037). The β-diversity results revealed statistically significant differences among the three groups (R²=0.047, P=0.043), with the most significant difference between group HM and group C (R²=0.0552, P=0.005). At the genus level, compared with group C, the abundance of 7 bacterial genus was significantly decreased in group H, including Bifidobacterium, Collinsella, and Turicibacter, while the abundance of Enterococcus was significantly increased (all P＜0.05). Spearman correlation analyses between group H and group C showd that Bifidobacterium and Collinsella were negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P＜0.05). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of Bifidobacterium and Collinsella as microbial markers of hypertension was 0.78. Conclusion: The occurrence and development of hypertension in Han people residing in the Yunnan Plateau are correlated with intestinal flora disorders, which is characterized by a decrease in beneficial bacteria and an increase in harmful bacteria. Bifidobacterium and Collinsella may be used as microbial markers for hypertension in the plateau population, and supplementation of beneficial bacteria and adjustment of dietary structure can prevent and improve hypertension.