The Therapeutic Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Female Drug Addicts is Achieved by Improving the Community Structure of Intestinal

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise on the gut microbiota structure of female drug addicts. Results Twelve weeks of aerobic exercise training may improve gut microbial diversity and increase the abundance of beneficial taxa. Following the exercise intervention, the operational taxonomic units(OTUs) counts in the exercise intervention groups increased with variable degrees when compared with the control groups. Furthermore, the OTU count of the MC group increased significantly. After the exercise intervention, principal component analysis revealed the following results: (1) at the phylum level, the dominant taxa, mainly composed of the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, did not change significantly, suggesting that the composition of the gut microbiota may not be affected by exercise; (2) at the family or order levels, the MC group exhibited significantly higher abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Enterobacterales when compared with the BC group (P < 0.05). Similarly, at the order level, when compared with the BX group, the MX group had a significantly higher abundance of Atopobiaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Pasteurellaceae, and Pasteurellales (P < 0.05); (3) at the genus level, exercise significantly increased the abundance of Prevotella and Roseburia in the MC group when compared with the BC group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Megamonas was significantly lower in the MX group than in the BX group (P < 0.05). In summary, these beneficial bacteria can be used as new targets for targeted microbiota intervention in female drug addicts. Conclusion Female drug addicts who underwent 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training effectively improved their intestinal flora structure and had shifts in the intestinal microbial species. However, the impact of exercise on the gut microbiota of drug addicts varies by drug type. The mechanism of the effects of exercise intervention in drug addiction may be associated with the activation of the gut’s innate immunity.