Altered metabolome and microbiome features provide clues in predicting recurrence of ulcerative colitis

Many studies have shown that the imbalance of the intestinal flora and metabolite can lead to the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), but their role in recurrent-UC is still unclear. We studied the intestinal flora and metabolites associated with recurrent-UC to elucidate the mechanism and biomarkers of recurrent-UC. Ulcerative colitis (UC) models in active, remission, and recurrence stages were established, and the abundance of intestinal flora was determined by 16 S rRNA sequencing. The changes in the metabolites present in feces and serum were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS. We identified 24 metabolites in feces and serum, which might be used as diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of recurrent-UC. The dominant flora of recurrent-UC included Romboutsia, UCG-005, etc. The results of a network analysis found that long-chain fatty acids and phenylalanine were strongly correlated with Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, which indicated that the recurrence of UC might be closely related to metabolites and microorganisms. The changes in intestinal microbiota and metabolites are closely related to the development of UC. Microbiota is an important inducer of UC, which can regulate metabolites through the 'microorganism-gut-metabolite' axis. It may provide a new method for the prediction and treatment of UC.