Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea; Research Group of Healthcare, Reserach Division of Food Functionality, Korea Food Research Institute, 245 Nongsaengmyeong-ro, Iseo-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, Republic of Korea.
Department of Agro-food Resources, National Institute of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, 166 Nongsaengmyeong-ro Iseo-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do 55365, Republic of Korea.
Res Microbiol. 2019 Jun-Aug;170(4-5):192-201. doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2019.03.003. Epub 2019 Mar 30.
Gut microbiota plays roles in host physiology including endocrine function. Although some data suggest a potential connection between biological sex differences and gut microbiota, the connection between sex steroid hormones and gut microbes remained unexplored. The current study investigates the relationship between gut microbes and serum levels of testosterone in men and estradiol in women. Fecal microbiota from a total of 57 men (n = 31) and women (n = 26) were assessed using 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Based on the levels of serum testosterone and estradiol in men and women, respectively, participants were stratified into three groups of Low, Medium, and High. Microbiome communities were analyzed as a function of the steroid hormone within sex. Men and women in the High group harbored more diverse gut microbial communities than others. In men, the abundance of Acinetobacter, Dorea, Ruminococcus, and Megamonas correlated significantly with testosterone levels. Women in the High group have more Bacteroidetes and less Firmicutes phyla than those in the Low group. Genera Slackia and Butyricimonas were significantly correlated with estradiol levels. These results demonstrate that sex steroid hormone levels are correlated with diversity and gut microbial composition, and provide fundamental information helpful for developing communication networks between human and microbial communities.
肠道微生物在宿主生理中发挥作用，包括内分泌功能。尽管一些数据表明生物学性别差异和肠道微生物之间存在潜在联系，但性类固醇激素和肠道微生物之间的联系仍未得到探索。本研究调查了男性的肠道微生物与血清睾酮水平以及女性的肠道微生物与血清雌二醇水平之间的关系。使用 16s rRNA 基因测序评估了总共 57 名男性（n=31）和女性（n=26）的粪便微生物群。根据男性和女性血清睾酮和雌二醇的水平，参与者分别分为低、中、高三组。将微生物组群落作为性内类固醇激素的函数进行分析。与其他组相比，高组的男性和女性肠道微生物群落更为多样化。在男性中，不动杆菌、多雷菌、瘤胃球菌和巨单胞菌的丰度与睾酮水平显著相关。高组女性的拟杆菌门和厚壁菌门的数量明显少于低组女性。斯拉奇亚属和丁酸单胞菌属与雌二醇水平显著相关。这些结果表明，性激素水平与多样性和肠道微生物组成相关，为开发人类与微生物群落之间的交流网络提供了基本信息。
