Associations Between Gut Microbiota Abundance, Dietary Purine Intake, and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids Across the Clinical Spectrum of Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Mexican Adults

@article{fuentesbello2026associations,
  title = {{Associations Between Gut Microbiota Abundance, Dietary Purine Intake, and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids Across the Clinical Spectrum of Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Mexican Adults}},
  author = {Alim Caelli Fuentes-Bello and Karla Vanessa Guevara-Gonzalez and Omar Granados-Portillo and Laura Gabriela Sánchez-Lozada and Ricardo Jasso-Chávez and David Galeana-Cadena and Efrén Altamirano-Molina and Brígida Herrera-López and Laura Edith Martínez-Gómez and Carlos Martínez-Armenta and Luis Esaú López-Jácome and Regina Matesanz Sánchez Azcona and Mireya Martínez-García and Luis M Amezcua-Guerra and Guadalupe Gutiérrez-Esparza and Carlos Pineda and Janitzia Vázquez-Mellado and Alberto G López-Reyes and Gabriela Angélica Martínez-Nava},
  journal = {Nutrients},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/nu18203326},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/20/3326},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Associations Between Gut Microbiota Abundance, Dietary Purine Intake, and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids Across the Clinical Spectrum of Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Mexican Adults
AU  - Alim Caelli Fuentes-Bello
AU  - Karla Vanessa Guevara-Gonzalez
AU  - Omar Granados-Portillo
AU  - Laura Gabriela Sánchez-Lozada
AU  - Ricardo Jasso-Chávez
AU  - David Galeana-Cadena
AU  - Efrén Altamirano-Molina
AU  - Brígida Herrera-López
AU  - Laura Edith Martínez-Gómez
AU  - Carlos Martínez-Armenta
AU  - Luis Esaú López-Jácome
AU  - Regina Matesanz Sánchez Azcona
AU  - Mireya Martínez-García
AU  - Luis M Amezcua-Guerra
AU  - Guadalupe Gutiérrez-Esparza
AU  - Carlos Pineda
AU  - Janitzia Vázquez-Mellado
AU  - Alberto G López-Reyes
AU  - Gabriela Angélica Martínez-Nava
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/10
JO  - Nutrients
DO  - 10.3390/nu18203326
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/20/3326
AB  - Background: Hyperuricemia and gout are closely associated with alterations in gut microbiota function. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by intestinal microorganisms may modulate immune responses and inflammation relevant to gout pathophysiology. This study evaluated fecal SCFA concentrations, their associations with dietary purine intake, and the relationship between Akkermansia spp. and Prevotella spp. abundance and fecal SCFA profiles across the clinical spectrum of hyperuricemia. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 380 Mexican adults: normouricemic controls (n = 141), individuals with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (AH; n = 98), and patients with gout (n = 141). Fecal SCFAs were quantified by GC-FID and bacterial abundance by qPCR. Dietary intake was assessed by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and classified by purine content. Between-group differences were evaluated by the Kruskal–Wallis test (Benjamini–Hochberg correction); multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, and BMI was used to assess associations, including a pre-specified dietary purine intake per clinical group interaction term. Results: Fecal acetate and propionate were significantly higher in gout patients than controls, whereas AH individuals had significantly higher butyrate. Moderate-purine food intake showed opposing associations with fecal acetate in controls (β = +3.61, p = 0.019) and gout patients (β = −4.59, p = 0.036), with a significant interaction (p = 0.004). Exploratory analyses revealed a positive association between Prevotella spp. abundance and fecal acetate exclusively in the gout group (β = 0.085, p = 0.020). Conclusion: These findings suggest distinct fecal SCFA profiles across stages of urate-related disease, with a disease-specific gut metabolic response to dietary purine intake potentially contributing to the inflammatory environment of established gout. Longitudinal studies with whole-microbiome profiling are needed to establish causality.
SN  - 2072-6643
ER  -