Korf Janelle M, Ganesh Bhanu P, McCullough Louise D
Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77370, USA; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 6767 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77370, USA.
Neurobiol Dis. 2022 Jun 15;168:105695. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105695. Epub 2022 Mar 18.
Historically, females have been underrepresented in biological research. With increased interest in the gut microbiome and the gut-brain axis, it is important for researchers to pursue studies that consider sex as a biological variable. The composition of the gut microbiome is influenced by environmental factors, disease, diet, and varies with age and by sex. Detrimental changes in the gut microbiome, referred to as dysbiosis, is believed to influence the development and progression of age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and stroke. Many are investigating the changes in microbial populations in order or to better understand the role of the gut immunity and the microbiome in neurodegenerative diseases, many of which the exact etiology remains elusive, and no cures exist. Others are working to find diagnostic markers for earlier detection, or to therapeutically modulate microbial populations using probiotics. However, while all these diseases present in reproductively senescent females, most studies only use male animals for their experimental design. Reproductively senescent females have been shown to have differences in disease progression, inflammatory responses, and microbiota composition, therefore, for research to be translational to affected populations it is necessary for appropriate models to be used. This review discusses factors that influence the gut microbiome and the gut brain axis in females, and highlights studies that have investigated the role of dysbiosis in age-related neurodegenerative disorders that have included females in their study design.
从历史上看，女性在生物学研究中的代表性一直不足。随着对肠道微生物群和肠-脑轴的兴趣增加，研究人员开展将性别视为生物学变量的研究非常重要。肠道微生物群的组成受环境因素、疾病、饮食影响，并随年龄和性别而变化。肠道微生物群的有害变化，即生态失调，被认为会影响与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病的发生和发展，如阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病、亨廷顿病和中风。许多人正在研究微生物种群的变化，以便更好地了解肠道免疫和微生物群在神经退行性疾病中的作用，其中许多疾病的确切病因仍然不明，也没有治愈方法。其他人则致力于寻找早期检测的诊断标志物，或使用益生菌对微生物种群进行治疗性调节。然而，虽然所有这些疾病都出现在生殖衰老的女性中，但大多数研究在实验设计中只使用雄性动物。已表明生殖衰老的女性在疾病进展、炎症反应和微生物群组成方面存在差异，因此，为了使研究能够转化到受影响人群，有必要使用合适的模型。这篇综述讨论了影响女性肠道微生物群和肠-脑轴的因素，并重点介绍了在研究设计中纳入女性、调查生态失调在与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病中的作用的研究。
