Sun Liying, Gao Huihui, Chen Hongyu, Ren Chenfei, Zhang Junwen, Shen Qiuxiang, Zhu Li, Chen Dandan, Jin Lingling, Wang Chaoqun, Li Fengxia, Yu Lan
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Gynecology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jul;13(7):e0267424. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02674-24. Epub 2025 May 19.
Vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) is a chronic skin condition affecting the vulva, causing significant discomfort, but its etiology in prepubertal girls remains poorly understood. VLS presents with itching, irritation, and pain. Recent studies suggest that cutaneous dysbiosis might play a role in VLS. Our study aims to investigate differences in the vulvar skin microbiota among prepubertal girls with VLS, those with labial adhesions, and healthy controls, and to explore potential microbial links to VLS. We performed a comparative analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences from vulvar skin samples of 18 girls with VLS, 15 girls with labial adhesions, and 11 healthy girls. Microbial diversity was assessed using α diversity, β diversity, and LEfSe, and functional microbial pathways were predicted. No differences were observed in α diversity among groups. However, β diversity analysis revealed significant differences in microbial composition (Jaccard, = 0.001; unweighted UniFrac, = 0.01). VLS patients had increased levels of and and differed from controls and labial adhesion cases in specific taxa. The NAD salvage pathway was notably associated with VLS. These findings suggest that cutaneous dysbiosis may contribute to VLS pathogenesis, providing insights into the microbial changes associated with the disease. Identifying microbial dysbiosis in VLS patients offers new perspectives on its pathogenesis and potential treatment strategies.
Cutaneous dysbiosis in vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) may play a key role in disease pathogenesis, especially when specific microbial imbalances persist in affected patients. However, most clinical evaluations focus on symptoms rather than microbial composition, risking missed opportunities for microbiome-targeted interventions. Thus, this study highlights the importance of microbiota surveillance as a potential tool for improving the diagnosis and treatment of VLS.
外阴硬化性苔藓（VLS）是一种影响外阴的慢性皮肤病，会引起严重不适，但其在青春期前女孩中的病因仍知之甚少。VLS表现为瘙痒、刺激和疼痛。最近的研究表明，皮肤微生物失调可能在VLS中起作用。我们的研究旨在调查患有VLS的青春期前女孩、患有阴唇粘连的女孩和健康对照者外阴皮肤微生物群的差异，并探索与VLS潜在的微生物联系。我们对18名患有VLS的女孩、15名患有阴唇粘连的女孩和11名健康女孩的外阴皮肤样本中的16S核糖体RNA（rRNA）序列进行了比较分析。使用α多样性、β多样性和LEfSe评估微生物多样性，并预测功能性微生物途径。各组之间在α多样性方面未观察到差异。然而，β多样性分析显示微生物组成存在显著差异（Jaccard，P = 0.001；未加权UniFrac，P = 0.01）。VLS患者的[具体微生物名称未给出]水平升高，并且在特定分类群中与对照和阴唇粘连病例不同。NAD挽救途径与VLS显著相关。这些发现表明，皮肤微生物失调可能导致VLS发病机制，为与该疾病相关的微生物变化提供了见解。识别VLS患者中的微生物失调为其发病机制和潜在治疗策略提供了新的视角。
外阴硬化性苔藓（VLS）中的皮肤微生物失调可能在疾病发病机制中起关键作用，特别是当受影响患者中存在特定的微生物失衡时。然而，大多数临床评估关注症状而非微生物组成，有可能错过以微生物群为靶点的干预机会。因此，本研究强调了微生物群监测作为改善VLS诊断和治疗的潜在工具的重要性。
