Hyperbaric oxygen augments susceptibility to C. difficile infection by impairing gut microbiota ability to stimulate the HIF-1α-IL-22 axis in ILC3

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Fachi, Jose L. ; Pral, Lais. P. ; Assis, Helder C. ; Oliveira, Sarah ; Rodovalho, Vinicius R. ; dos Santos, Jefferson A. C. ; Fernandes, Mariane F. ; Matheus, Valquiria A. ; Sesti-Costa, Renata ; Basso, Paulo J. ; Floro e Silva, Marina ; Camara, Niels O. S. ; Giorgio, Selma ; Colonna, Marco ; Vinolo, Marco A. R.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: GUT MICROBES; v. 16, n. 1, p. 26-pg., 2024-12-31.

Abstract

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is a well-established method for improving tissue oxygenation and is typically used for the treatment of various inflammatory conditions, including infectious diseases. However, its effect on the intestinal mucosa, a microenvironment known to be physiologically hypoxic, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that daily treatment with hyperbaric oxygen affects gut microbiome composition, worsening antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. Accordingly, HBO-treated mice were more susceptible to Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), an enteric pathogen highly associated with antibiotic-induced colitis. These observations were closely linked with a decline in the level of microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Butyrate, a SCFA produced primarily by anaerobic microbial species, mitigated HBO-induced susceptibility to CDI and increased epithelial barrier integrity by improving group 3 innate lymphoid cell (ILC3) responses. Mice displaying tissue-specific deletion of HIF-1 in ROR gamma t-positive cells exhibited no protective effect of butyrate during CDI. In contrast, the reinforcement of HIF-1 signaling in ROR gamma t-positive cells through the conditional deletion of VHL mitigated disease outcome, even after HBO therapy. Taken together, we conclude that HBO induces intestinal dysbiosis and impairs the production of SCFAs affecting the HIF-1 alpha-IL-22 axis in ILC3 and worsening the response of mice to subsequent C. difficile infection. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/06577-9 - Mechanisms involved in the protective effect of short-chain fatty acids against Clostridium difficile-associated colitis
• Grantee: José Luís Fachi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/15313-8 - Investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in the interaction between microbiota-derived metabolites and host cells during inflammation
• Grantee: Marco Aurélio Ramirez Vinolo
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants - Phase 2