Microbiota Changes During Chemotherapy in Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Comparative Assessment with Il-17 and Il-12 Levels

Objective: This study aimed to investigate changes in gut microbiota composition during chemotherapy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and healthy controls, and to evaluate their potential impact on treatment outcomes. Additionally, changes in IL-12 and IL-17 levels during chemotherapy were assessed. Materials and Methods: Fifteen samples from patients with HL were collected after 2–3 cycles of therapy, whereas 15 samples from patients with NHL were collected after 3–4 cycles of therapy. Samples were also collected from healthy controls (n = 33). Microbial alpha diversity and microbiota composition were assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and an operational taxonomic unit (OTU) table generated through R/RStudio. The expression levels of IL-12 and IL-17 were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Results: In HL patients, genera such as Agathobacter, Romboutsia, and Veillonella were predominantly identified in pre-treatment samples, whereas Dorea, Lactobacillus, and Weissella were enriched post-treatment. Actinobacteriota and Verrucomicrobiota were slightly more abundant before treatment. In NHL patients, Alistipes, Phascolarctobacterium, and Roseburia were characteristic of pre-treatment samples, while Lachnoclostridium, Parabacteroides, and UBA1819 were enriched post-treatment. Actinobacteriota levels increased modestly after chemotherapy. KEGG pathway analysis revealed distinct alterations in HL and NHL, and IL-12 levels differed significantly between NHL patients and healthy controls post-chemotherapy. Conclusions: Baseline gut microbiota profiling may help develop personalized strategies to mitigate chemotherapy-induced dysbiosis and enhance treatment efficacy. Microbiome modulation represents a promising adjunctive approach in lymphoma management.