Increased Gut Microbiota Diversity in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa and Implications for Disease Phenotypes and Progression.

Gut microbiota diversity was significantly higher in patients with retinitis pigmentosa than in healthy individuals.

• 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis was performed on stool samples from 103 patients with RP and 64 healthy individuals.
• Both α and β diversities of gut microbiota were compared between patients and healthy individuals.
• The difference in gut microbiota diversity between RP patients and healthy individuals was statistically significant (P < 0.001).
• Patients with RP exhibited distinct gut microbiota characteristics compared to healthy individuals.

Patients with cystoid macular edema (CME) had greater gut microbiota diversity than patients without CME.

• Comparisons of gut microbiota were made between patients with or without cystoid macular edema (CME).
• Patients with CME showed greater diversity than those without CME (P < 0.05).
• Patients with CME showed a higher abundance of Romboutsia and Ruminococcus compared to those without CME (P < 0.05).
• CME is a complication of RP reported to affect visual outcome.

Antibiotic treatment in rd10 mice suppressed photoreceptor apoptosis and attenuated the decrease of photoreceptors.

• The RP model rd10 mice were treated with or without antibiotics starting at 7 days of age.
• Antibiotics-treated rd10 mice showed suppressed apoptosis compared to untreated mice.
• Antibiotics-treated mice showed an attenuated decrease of photoreceptors.
• Antibiotics-treated mice showed a significantly lower incidence of retinal detachment.

Retinal function was significantly preserved in antibiotic-treated rd10 mice.

• Retinal structure and function were evaluated in rd10 mice treated with or without antibiotics.
• Retinal function was significantly preserved in mice treated with antibiotics compared to untreated controls.
• These findings suggest that gut microbiota modification can attenuate disease progression in the RP model mouse.

Antibiotic treatment in rd10 mice downregulated expression of inflammatory markers consistent with suppression of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

• In antibiotics-treated mice, expression of Il-1β, Nlrp3, Caspase-1, pNFkb, pJNK, and pCREB1 was downregulated.
• The pattern of downregulation suggested suppression of the NLRP3 inflammasome.
• Inflammation is reported to affect visual outcome in RP, providing a mechanistic rationale for these findings.
• The gut-retina inflammatory axis through the NLRP3 inflammasome is implicated as a pathway linking gut microbiota to RP progression.