Hou Kai, Tan Yufang, Zhang Qi
Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Department of Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Burns. 2025 Mar;51(2):107376. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2025.107376. Epub 2025 Jan 6.
Hypertrophic scar (HS) is acknowledged as a pathological fibro-proliferative disease of the dermis, resulting from excessive connective tissue growth. HS significantly impacts patient quality of life due to both social and functional issues. Despite various treatments, therapeutic effectiveness remains limited, necessitating further exploration of underlying factors and mechanisms.
The current study was designed to determine the causal relationship between skin microbiota and HS employing a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
We utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from the PopGen cohort and the FinnGen database. Independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) linked to the skin microbiota were identified as instrumental variables (IVs) chosen for the two-sample MR analysis. Key analytical approaches included inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, simple median, simple mode, and weighted mode, with MR-Egger intercept test and Cochrane's Q test used to detect potential horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity.
The two-sample MR analysis identified significant causal relationships between specific skin microbiota features and HS. Notably, Enhydrobacter, Micrococcus, and Acinetobacter on moist skin exhibited protective effects against HS, whereas Finegoldia and Lactobacillales on dry skin were linked to an increased risk of HS. Sensitivity analyses verified the strength of these results, revealing no notable horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity.
Our research reveals a unidirectional causal relationship between certain skin microbiota and HS, suggesting that modulation of skin microbiota could be a novel therapeutic approach for HS management. These results emphasize the significance of considering skin microbiota in the pathogenesis and treatment of HS.
肥厚性瘢痕（HS）被认为是一种真皮层的病理性纤维增生性疾病，由结缔组织过度生长引起。由于社会和功能问题，HS严重影响患者的生活质量。尽管有各种治疗方法，但治疗效果仍然有限，需要进一步探索潜在因素和机制。
本研究旨在采用双向孟德尔随机化（MR）方法确定皮肤微生物群与HS之间的因果关系。
我们利用了PopGen队列和芬兰基因数据库的全基因组关联研究（GWAS）数据。与皮肤微生物群相关的独立单核苷酸多态性（SNP）被确定为用于两样本MR分析的工具变量（IV）。关键分析方法包括逆方差加权（IVW）、MR-Egger、简单中位数、简单模式和加权模式，使用MR-Egger截距检验和Cochrane Q检验来检测潜在的水平多效性和异质性。
两样本MR分析确定了特定皮肤微生物群特征与HS之间的显著因果关系。值得注意的是，潮湿皮肤上的水生杆菌、微球菌和不动杆菌对HS具有保护作用，而干燥皮肤上的纤细杆菌属和乳杆菌目与HS风险增加有关。敏感性分析验证了这些结果的强度，未发现明显的水平多效性或异质性。
我们的研究揭示了某些皮肤微生物群与HS之间的单向因果关系，表明调节皮肤微生物群可能是管理HS的一种新的治疗方法。这些结果强调了在HS的发病机制和治疗中考虑皮肤微生物群的重要性。
