Effect of Piribedil on the Gut Microbiota of Patients with Parkinson&#39;s Disease

Ruru Wang; Jingjing Li; Yumeng Li; Shuangping Li; Qingping Ye; Xinyao Liu; Huining Li; Xianchun Duan

doi:10.3791/70263

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Research Article

Effect of Piribedil on the Gut Microbiota of Patients with Parkinson's Disease

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DOI:

10.3791/70263

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July 14th, 2026

Ruru Wang¹^,² , Jingjing Li¹^,² , Yumeng Li¹^,² , Shuangping Li¹^,² , Qingping Ye¹^,² , Xinyao Liu¹^,² , Huining Li¹^,² , Xianchun Duan¹^,²^,³^,⁴^,⁵

¹Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, ²School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, ³Xin'an Medical Research Institute, ⁴Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, ⁵Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula

Summary

This study used 16S rRNA sequencing to compare gut microbiota among healthy controls, untreated PD patients, and piribedil-treated PD patients, and identified differences in microbial composition associated with piribedil treatment.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether piribedil therapy alters the gut microbiota of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), providing a theoretical reference for understanding gut microbiota alterations induced by piribedil and their potential clinical implications. Fecal samples were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing. Comparisons were made between patients with PD who took piribedil (piribedil group), patients with PD who did not take piribedil (PD group), and healthy controls (blank group). Compared with the blank group, the relative abundance of Staphylococcus, Rhodococcus, and other genera was higher in the PD group, whereas the relative abundance of Achromobacter and Delftia was lower. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Achromobacter, Delftia, and Stenotrophomonas was higher in the piribedil group compared to the PD group, whereas the relative abundance of Staphylococcus, Rhodococcus, and other species was lower. Compared to healthy individuals, the gut microbiota of patients with PD exhibited significant changes. The gut microbiota of patients taking piribedil significantly differs from that of untreated patients. These results suggest an association between piribedil and altered gut microbiota in patients with PD.

Introduction

The incidence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is gradually increasing; however, its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been fully clarified. More studies have indicated that the gut microbiota is closely related to the onset and development of PD. He et al.¹documented that the gut microbiota composition in patients with PD varies from that of healthy people, and that an increase in intestinal pathogens may be associated with the onset of PD. Scheperans et al.²confirmed that the relative abundance of Prevotella and Bacteroides in the gut of patients with PD is reduced, and that these bacterial gene....