Alpha Diversity Analysis of Microbiota Dysbiosis in Normal and Colorectal Cancer of Mice Feces
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-6029.2025.14.46Keywords:
Colorectal cancer, gut microbiota, Next Generation Sequencing, dysbiosis, alpha diversityAbstract
Background: Colorectal cancer development is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors, with the gut microbiota playing a significant role. This research investigates how alterations in gut microbiota are associated with the incidence, progression, prognosis, and early detection of CRC.
Methods: An experimental laboratory study was carried out using Sprague Dawley rats that were induced with azoxymethane (AOM) and Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS). The thirty rats were divided into three groups: normal, cancer-induced, and treatment. The fecal microbiota profiles were examined through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), and the data were analyzed for alpha diversity, highlighting the dynamics of the microbial community.
Results: The cancer-induced group (K2 Plus) exhibited the highest microbial diversity across Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, and PD Whole Tree indices, while the treatment group (P2 Plus) demonstrated the lowest.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the increase in diversity observed in cancer-induced mice reflects disruption of community stability and blooming of pathobionts. Conversely, treatment with Lactococcus lactis D4 reduced diversity, potentially by selectively suppressing pro-inflammatory or pathogenic taxa, indicating a beneficial probiotic effect in mitigating dysbiosis associated with colorectal cancer.
References
Hossain MS, Karuniawati H, Jairoun AA, et al. Colorectal Cancer: A Review of Carcinogenesis, Global Epidemiology, Current Challenges, Risk Factors, Preventive and Treatment Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14.
Gupta A, Madani R, Mukhtar H. Streptococcus bovis endocarditis, a silent sign for colonic tumour. Colorectal Dis 2010; 12: 164-71.
Kostic AD, Gevers D, Pedamallu CS, et al. Genomic analysis identifies association of Fusobacterium with colorectal carcinoma. Genome Res 2012; 22: 292-8.
Viljoen KS, Dakshinamurthy A, Goldberg P, et al. Quantitative profiling of colorectal cancer-associated bacteria reveals associations between fusobacterium spp, enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer. PLoS One 2015. 10: p. e0119462.
Buc E, Dubois D, Sauvanet P, et al. High prevalence of mucosa-associated E. coli producing cyclomodulin and genotoxin in colon cancer. PLoS One 2013; 8: e56964.
Wang T, Cai G, Qiu Y, et al. Structural segregation of gut microbiota between colorectal cancer patients and healthy volunteers. ISME J 2012; 6: 320-9.
Porter RJ, Arends MJ, Churchhouse AMD, et al. Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Colorectal Cancer: Translational Risks from Mechanisms to Medicines. J Crohns Colitis 2021; 15: 2131-2141.
Lucafò M, Curci D, Franzin M, et al. Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: An Overview From Pathophysiology to Pharmacological Prevention. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12: 772101.
Nardone OM, Zammarchi I, Santacroce G, et al. Inflammation-Driven Colorectal Cancer Associated with Colitis: From Pathogenesis to Changing Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15.
Tanaka T, Kohno H, Suzuki R, et al. A novel inflammation-related mouse colon carcinogenesis model induced by azoxymethane and dextran sodium sulfate. Cancer Sci 2003; 94: 965-73.
Tian R, Zuo X, Jaoude JC, et al. ALOX15 as a Suppressor of Inflammation and Cancer: Lost in the Link. Prostaglandins & Other Lipid Mediators 2017.
Ohnishi S, Hiramoto K, Ma N, et al. Chemoprevention by Aspirin Against Inflammation-Related Colorectal Cancer in Mice. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition 2021.
Yang X, Wang Q, Zhang X, et al. Purple Yam Polyphenol Extracts Exert Anticolitis and Anticolitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer Effects Through Inactivation of NF-κB/p65 and STAT3 Signaling Pathways. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2023.
Stolfi C, Rizzo A, Franzè E, et al. Involvement of interleukin-21 in the regulation of colitis-associated colon cancer. Journal of Experimental Medicine 2011; 208: 2279-2290.
Zhang B, Xu Y, Liu S, et al. Dietary Supplementation of Foxtail Millet Ameliorates Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer in Mice via Activation of Gut Receptors and Suppression of the STAT3 Pathway. Nutrients 2020; 12.
Ock CY, Kim E-H, Hong H, et al. Prevention of Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer with 8-Hydroxydeoxyguano-sine. Cancer Prevention Research 2011; 4: 1507-1521.
Meana C, García-Rostán G, Peña L, et al. The phosphatidic acid phosphatase lipin-1 facilitates inflammation-driven colon carcinogenesis. JCI Insight 2018; 3.
Pandurangan AK, Saadatdoust Z, Mohd NE, et al. Dietary cocoa protects against colitis-associated cancer by activating the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. BioFactors 2015; 41: 1-14.
Khalyfa AA, Punatar S, Aslam R, et al. Exploring the Inflammatory Pathogenesis of Colorectal Cancer. Diseases 2021; 9.
Rosenberg E, DeLong EF, Thompson F, et al. The prokaryotes: Human Microbiology 2013; 1-554.
Cheng Y, Ling Z, Li L. The Intestinal Microbiota and Colorectal Cancer. Front Immunol 2020; 11: 615056.
Rausch P, Rühlemann M, Hermes BM, et al. Comparative analysis of amplicon and metagenomic sequencing methods reveals key features in the evolution of animal metaorganisms. Microbiome 2019; 7: 133.
Heidrich V, Inoue LT, Asprino PF, et al. Choice of 16S Ribosomal RNA Primers Impacts Male Urinary Microbiota Profiling. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12: 862338.
Hoffman C, Siddiqui NY, Fields I, et al. Species-Level Resolution of Female Bladder Microbiota from 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing. mSystems 2021; 6: e0051821.
Höyhtyä M, Korpela K, Saqib S, et al. Quantitative Fecal Microbiota Profiles Relate to Therapy Response During Induction With Tumor Necrosis Factor α Antagonist Infliximab in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2023; 29: 116-124.
Zhu Q, Huang S, Gonzalez A, et al. Phylogeny-Aware Analysis of Metagenome Community Ecology Based on Matched Reference Genomes while Bypassing Taxonomy. mSystems 2022; 7: e00167-22.
Peterson D, Bonham KS, Rowland S, et al. Comparative Analysis of 16S rRNA Gene and Metagenome Sequencing in Pediatric Gut Microbiomes. Front Microbiol 2021; 12: 670336.
Jovel J, Patterson J, Wang W, et al. Characterization of the Gut Microbiome Using 16S or Shotgun Metagenomics. Front Microbiol 2016; 7: 459.
Poretsky R, Rodriguez RL, Luo C, et al. Strengths and limitations of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in revealing temporal microbial community dynamics. PLoS One 2014; 9: e93827.
Rezasoltani S, Ahmadi Bashirzadeh D, Nazemalhosseini Mojarad E, et al. Signature of Gut Microbiome by Conventional and Advanced Analysis Techniques: Advantages and Disadvantages. Middle East J Dig Dis 2020; 12: 5-11.
Zheng X, Zhu Q, Qin M, et al. The Role of Feeding Characteristics in Shaping Gut Microbiota Composition and Function of Ensifera (Orthoptera). Insects 2022; 13.
Sharpton TJ. An introduction to the analysis of shotgun metagenomic data. Front Plant Sci 2014; 5: 209.
Willis AD. Rarefaction, Alpha Diversity, and Statistics. Front Microbiol 2019; 10: 2407.
Moreno C, Barragan F, Pineda E, et al. Reanálisis de la diversidad alfa: alternativas para interpretar y comparar información sobre comunidades ecológicas. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 2011; 82: 1249-1261.
McCoy CO, Matsen FAT Abundance-weighted phylogenetic diversity measures distinguish microbial community states and are robust to sampling depth. Peer J 2013; 1: e157.
Walters KE, Martiny JBH. Alpha-, beta-, and gamma-diversity of bacteria varies across habitats. PLoS One 2020; 15: e0233872.
Contoli L. Diversity Indices as ‘Magic’ Tools in Landscape Planning: A Cautionary Note on their Uncritical Use. Landscape Research 2011; 36: 111-117.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Policy for Journals/Articles with Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
Policy for Journals / Manuscript with Paid Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Publisher retain copyright .
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post links to their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work .