Dong Sitong, Yao Xinrui, Jiao Jiao, Lin Bei, Yan Fujie, Wang Xiuxia
Center of Reproductive Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
Shenyang Reproductive Health Clinical Medicine Research Center, Shenyang, China.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2025 Jan 13;14:1394873. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1394873. eCollection 2024.
To investigate the roles of fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
The levels of SCFAs (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) in 83 patients with PCOS and 63 controls were measured, and their relationships with various metabolic parameters were analyzed. Intestinal microbiome analysis was conducted to identify relevant bacteria. The study took place at the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, from 5 February to 23 May 2023. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships between SCFAs, PCOS, and PCOS-related insulin resistance (IR). Differences in bacterial populations between women with PCOS-IR and those with PCOS-non-insulin resistance (NIR) were identified using linear discriminant analysis effect Size (LEfSe). The relationships between bacteria and fecal propionate levels were explored through linear regression analyses. The potential of fecal propionate and microbial profiles as biomarkers for insulin resistance in PCOS patients was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Higher fecal propionate levels were observed in patients with PCOS compared to controls ( = 0.042) and in PCOS-IR compared to PCOS-NIR ( = 0.009). There was no significant difference in fecal propionate levels between the IR and NIR subgroups of women in the control group ( > 0.05). Additionally, higher fecal propionate levels were associated with IR in PCOS ( = 0.039; OR, 1.115; 95% CI, 1.006-1.237). The abundance of and was higher in PCOS-IR women compared to PCOS-NIR women (LDA score > 3) and correlated with fecal propionate levels (adjusted ² = 0.145, < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for propionate and the combined presence of and in predicting PCOS was 78.0%, with a sensitivity of 78.5% and a specificity of 72.4%. Pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism were significantly enriched in the microbiota of the PCOS-IR population but not in the control IR group.
Higher fecal propionate levels correlate with PCOS-related insulin resistance. and might be key functional bacteria. Therefore, the combination of propionate levels and the abundance of these two bacteria may serve as a potential biomarker for insulin resistance in PCOS patients. Regulation of the intestinal microbiome might be beneficial for the metabolic health of women with PCOS.
探讨粪便短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）在多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）中的作用。
测定83例PCOS患者和63例对照者的SCFAs（乙酸盐、丙酸盐和丁酸盐）水平，并分析其与各种代谢参数的关系。进行肠道微生物组分析以鉴定相关细菌。该研究于2023年2月5日至5月23日在中国医科大学附属盛京医院生殖医学中心进行。采用逻辑回归分析探讨SCFAs、PCOS和PCOS相关胰岛素抵抗（IR）之间的关系。使用线性判别分析效应大小（LEfSe）确定PCOS-IR女性和PCOS-非胰岛素抵抗（NIR）女性之间细菌种群的差异。通过线性回归分析探讨细菌与粪便丙酸盐水平之间的关系。使用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析评估粪便丙酸盐和微生物谱作为PCOS患者胰岛素抵抗生物标志物的潜力。
与对照组相比，PCOS患者的粪便丙酸盐水平更高（P = 0.042），与PCOS-NIR相比，PCOS-IR患者的粪便丙酸盐水平更高（P = 0.009）。对照组女性的IR和NIR亚组之间粪便丙酸盐水平无显著差异（P>0.05）。此外，PCOS患者中较高的粪便丙酸盐水平与IR相关（P = 0.039；OR，1.115；95%CI，1.006-1.237）。与PCOS-NIR女性相比，PCOS-IR女性中 和 的丰度更高（LDA评分>3），且与粪便丙酸盐水平相关（校正R² = 0.145，P<0.001）。丙酸盐以及 和 共同存在预测PCOS的曲线下面积（AUC）为78.0%，敏感性为78.5%，特异性为72.4%。与碳水化合物代谢相关的途径在PCOS-IR人群的微生物群中显著富集，但在对照IR组中未富集。
较高的粪便丙酸盐水平与PCOS相关的胰岛素抵抗相关。 和 可能是关键的功能细菌。因此，丙酸盐水平与这两种细菌的丰度相结合可能作为PCOS患者胰岛素抵抗的潜在生物标志物。调节肠道微生物组可能有利于PCOS女性的代谢健康。
