Dufresne Karine
Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
Lipids Health Dis. 2025 Mar 3;24(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s12944-025-02489-7.
The vaginal tract of cis-gender women of reproductive age is inhabited by communities of bacteria generally dominated by one of four Lactobacillus species. These bacteria are important for the reproductive health of women and favor better outcomes, including fertility, pregnancy leading to term and protection against infections. Past studies have focused on the role of carbohydrates in the balance of vaginal communities, and the role of fatty acids has been underestimated. However, small- to long-chain fatty acids present few properties that, in combination with sugar metabolism, affect the outcomes of the health or disease within the vaginal communities. Herein, we explore the origins of fatty acids in the vaginal tract as well as their roles in the bacterial life cycle in this environment. We also detail the putative impact of vaginal FAs on S. aureus, one of the etiologic agents of aerobic vaginitis. Finally, we discuss their potential for prevention or therapy in women of reproductive age.
育龄期顺性别女性的阴道内存在着细菌群落，这些群落通常由四种乳酸杆菌中的一种主导。这些细菌对女性的生殖健康很重要，有助于获得更好的结果，包括生育能力、足月妊娠以及预防感染。过去的研究集中在碳水化合物在阴道菌群平衡中的作用，而脂肪酸的作用被低估了。然而，短链到长链脂肪酸具有一些特性，这些特性与糖代谢共同影响阴道菌群内的健康或疾病结果。在此，我们探讨阴道中脂肪酸的来源及其在这种环境下细菌生命周期中的作用。我们还详细阐述了阴道脂肪酸对需氧性阴道炎病原体之一金黄色葡萄球菌的假定影响。最后，我们讨论它们在育龄期女性预防或治疗方面的潜力。
