Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis

Longo, Umile Giuseppe; Lalli, Alberto; Bandini, Benedetta; de Sire, Roberto; Angeletti, Silvia; Lustig, Sebastien; Ammendolia, Antonio; Budhiparama, Nicolaas Cyrillus; de Sire, Alessandro

doi:10.3390/ijms25063242

Open AccessReview

Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis

by

Umile Giuseppe Longo

^1,2

,

Alberto Lalli

^1,2

,

Benedetta Bandini

^1,2

,

Roberto de Sire

^3,4

,

Silvia Angeletti

⁵,

Sebastien Lustig

⁶,

Antonio Ammendolia

^7,8

,

Nicolaas Cyrillus Budhiparama

⁹

and

Alessandro de Sire

^7,8,*

¹

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200, 00128 Roma, Italy

²

Research Unit of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128 Roma, Italy

³

Gastroenterology, Endoscopy Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy

⁴

Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University Federico II of Naples, 80126 Naples, Italy

⁵

Unit of Clinical Laboratory Science, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy

⁶

Orthopaedic Department, Lyon North University Hospital, Hôpital de La Croix Rousse, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 103 Grande Rue de la Croix Rousse, 69004 Lyon, France

⁷

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

⁸

Research Center on Musculoskeletal Health, MusculoSkeletalHealth@UMG, University of Catanzaro “Magna Graecia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

⁹

Department of Orthopaedics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 Leiden, The Netherlands

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3242; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063242

Submission received: 19 January 2024 / Revised: 16 February 2024 / Accepted: 11 March 2024 / Published: 13 March 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Microbiota and Its Association with Cellular Transformation and Metabolic Changes, 2nd Edition)

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Abstract

Dysregulation of the gut microbiota and their metabolites is involved in the pathogenic process of intestinal diseases, and several pieces of evidence within the current literature have also highlighted a possible connection between the gut microbiota and the unfolding of inflammatory pathologies of the joints. This dysregulation is defined as the “gut-joint axis” and is based on the joint–gut interaction. It is widely recognized that the microbiota of the gut produce a variety of compounds, including enzymes, short-chain fatty acids, and metabolites. As a consequence, these proinflammatory compounds that bacteria produce, such as that of lipopolysaccharide, move from the “leaky gut” to the bloodstream, thereby leading to systemic inflammation which then reaches the joints, with consequences such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondylarthritis. In this state-of-the-art research, the authors describe the connections between gut dysbiosis and osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondylarthritis. Moreover, the diagnostic tools, outcome measures, and treatment options are elucidated. There is accumulating proof suggesting that the microbiota of the gut play an important part not only in immune-mediated, metabolic, and neurological illnesses but also in inflammatory joints. According to the authors, future studies should concentrate on developing innovative microbiota-targeted treatments and their effects on joint pathology as well as on organizing screening protocols to predict the onset of inflammatory joint disease based on gut dysbiosis.

Keywords: microbiota; gut microbiota; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid arthritis; spondylarthritis; rehabilitation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Longo, U.G.; Lalli, A.; Bandini, B.; de Sire, R.; Angeletti, S.; Lustig, S.; Ammendolia, A.; Budhiparama, N.C.; de Sire, A. Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 3242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063242

AMA Style

Longo UG, Lalli A, Bandini B, de Sire R, Angeletti S, Lustig S, Ammendolia A, Budhiparama NC, de Sire A. Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024; 25(6):3242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063242

Chicago/Turabian Style

Longo, Umile Giuseppe, Alberto Lalli, Benedetta Bandini, Roberto de Sire, Silvia Angeletti, Sebastien Lustig, Antonio Ammendolia, Nicolaas Cyrillus Budhiparama, and Alessandro de Sire. 2024. "Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25, no. 6: 3242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063242

APA Style

Longo, U. G., Lalli, A., Bandini, B., de Sire, R., Angeletti, S., Lustig, S., Ammendolia, A., Budhiparama, N. C., & de Sire, A. (2024). Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(6), 3242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063242

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Role of the Gut Microbiota in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Spondylarthritis: An Update on the Gut–Joint Axis

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