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ISSN 2522-9028 (Print)
ISSN 2522-9036 (Online)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz

Fiziologichnyi Zhurnal

(English title: Physiological Journal)

is a scientific journal issued by the

Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Editor-in-chief: V.F. Sagach

The journal was founded in 1955 as
1955 – 1977 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0015 – 3311)
1978 – 1993 "Fiziologicheskii zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
1994 – 2016 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
2017 – "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 2522-9028)

Fiziol. Zh. 2026; 72(1): 34-43

Colorectal cancer associated changes in gut microbiome of patients from western region of Ukraine

M.R. Lozynska1, N.Y. Pidgurskiy1, A.I. Kachor2, Y.V. Verbovytska2, O.R. Pinyazhko3, R.O. Pinyazhko3

  1. Institute of Hereditary Pathology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine
  2. Explogen LLC, Lviv
  3. Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz72.01.034


Abstract

The emergence, progression, and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) both influence and are influenced by the gut microbiome. In this study, we aimed to elucidate differences in the gut microbial composition between patients with colorectal cancer and healthy individuals from the western region of Ukraine. To achieve this, 16S rRNA amplicon metagenomic sequencing was employed. As a result, patients diagnosed with CRC exhibited a significant reduction in gut microbial diversity. This decrease was reflected in a reduced relative abundance of health-promoting bacteria (by 6- to 170-fold), along with an increased abundance of Escherichia coli and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (5- and 7-fold, respectively) in the CRC group. At the same time, we were unable to detect typical CRC-associated biomarker bacteria, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum. To evaluate the potential of E. coli abundance as a biomarker, quantitative PCR (qPCR) was applied to quantify E. coli cells in stool samples from healthy individuals and patients with CRC. However, substantial variability in E. coli cell numbers was observed in both groups, rendering this parameter unsuitable for CRC diagnosis. Overall, our data provide an initial insight into CRC-associated alterations of the gut microbiome in patients from the western part of Ukraine.

Keywords: microbiome; colorectal cancer; intestine; metagenomic sequencing.

Full text: (PDF, in English)

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