Colorectal adenoma presence is associated with decreased menaquinone pathway functions in the gut microbiome of patients undergoing routine colonoscopy

Colorectal adenoma presence is associated with decreased menaquinone pathway functions in the gut microbiome of patients undergoing routine colonoscopy | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Colorectal adenoma presence is associated with decreased menaquinone pathway functions in the gut microbiome of patients undergoing routine colonoscopy Ilona Vilkoite, Ivars Silamiķelis, Jānis Kloviņš, Ivars Tolmanis, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7332117/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most common malignancies worldwide, with colorectal adenomas recognized as well-established precursors to CRC. Changes in gut microbiota appear to be linked to CRC by promoting chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and metabolic issues that drive tumor growth and progression. Objectives To explore the relationship between gut microbiome composition and the presence of colorectal adenomas in patients undergoing routine colonoscopy. Materials and methods Patients were selected from those receiving standard colonoscopy based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, to minimize potential confounding factors such as previous colorectal surgeries, inflammatory bowel diseases, and the use of antibiotics or probiotics. Fecal samples were collected before bowel preparation for the colonoscopy procedure, and metagenomic shotgun sequencing was used to analyze the composition and functions of the gut microbiome. Results Overall, 136 participants were recruited, and 56 of them had colorectal adenomas. Although no distinction was observed in alpha diversity, beta diversity analysis indicated significant differences between the adenoma-positive and adenoma-negative groups. Signs of dysbiosis were found in patients with adenomas: increased abundance of the genera Bacteroides and Prevotella and decreased abundance of Faecalibacterium and Anaerostipes species. Beta diversity analysis showed statistically significant differences in the structure of the microbiota. Significant differences in the relative abundance of UBA7597 sp003448195 were observed between groups. Functionally, decreased vitamin K2, SCFA (propionate) synthesis, along with lower Stickland fermentation activity was observed, indicating altered microbial metabolism. These changes may compromise epithelial barrier support, anti-inflammatory signaling, and energy metabolism in the colon. Conclusions The discovery of microbial taxa and functional pathways associated with the presence of adenomas underscores the potential of microbiota-based biomarkers and therapeutic strategies in the prevention and management of colorectal cancer. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7332117","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":514427835,"identity":"e32c9273-6381-4edf-823f-65b4c2dceec4","order_by":0,"name":"Ilona 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Changes in gut microbiota appear to be linked to CRC by promoting chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and metabolic issues that drive tumor growth and progression.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObjectives\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo explore the relationship between gut microbiome composition and the presence of colorectal adenomas in patients undergoing routine colonoscopy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMaterials and methods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePatients were selected from those receiving standard colonoscopy based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, to minimize potential confounding factors such as previous colorectal surgeries, inflammatory bowel diseases, and the use of antibiotics or probiotics. Fecal samples were collected before bowel preparation for the colonoscopy procedure, and metagenomic shotgun sequencing was used to analyze the composition and functions of the gut microbiome.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall, 136 participants were recruited, and 56 of them had colorectal adenomas. Although no distinction was observed in alpha diversity, beta diversity analysis indicated significant differences between the adenoma-positive and adenoma-negative groups. Signs of dysbiosis were found in patients with adenomas: increased abundance of the genera \u003cem\u003eBacteroides\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePrevotella\u003c/em\u003e and decreased abundance of \u003cem\u003eFaecalibacterium\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAnaerostipes\u003c/em\u003e species. Beta diversity analysis showed statistically significant differences in the structure of the microbiota. Significant differences in the relative abundance of \u003cem\u003eUBA7597 sp003448195\u003c/em\u003e were observed between groups. Functionally, decreased vitamin K2, SCFA (propionate) synthesis, along with lower Stickland fermentation activity was observed, indicating altered microbial metabolism. These changes may compromise epithelial barrier support, anti-inflammatory signaling, and energy metabolism in the colon.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe discovery of microbial taxa and functional pathways associated with the presence of adenomas underscores the potential of microbiota-based biomarkers and therapeutic strategies in the prevention and management of colorectal cancer.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Colorectal adenoma presence is associated with decreased menaquinone pathway functions in the gut microbiome of patients undergoing routine colonoscopy","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-17 19:01:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7332117/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"646a5dd3-b3d4-49f2-8a45-a15e67fd34fa","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-05T09:09:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-17 19:01:46","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7332117","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7332117","identity":"rs-7332117","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}