Jerkovic Gulin Sandra, Almlöf Olivia, Seifert Oliver, Kravvas Georgios, Lundin Filippa, Bergman Jungeström Malin, Söderman Jan
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Ryhov County Hospital, 551 85 Jönköping, Sweden.
Division of Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2025 Sep 9;61(9):1632. doi: 10.3390/medicina61091632.
Lichen sclerosus (LSc) is a chronic inflammatory and sclerosing condition that primarily affects the genital region. In women, vulvar lichen sclerosus presents with a wide range of clinical features, including pruritus, erythema, burning, pain, dysuria, architectural distortion, scarring, and the formation of ivory-white atrophic plaques. While the precise etiology of LSc remains unclear, increasing evidence indicates that prolonged exposure to urine and occlusion may play a central role in its pathogenesis. Additionally, the role of the genital microbiome has garnered increasing attention, with dysbiosis-an imbalance in microbial communities-emerging as a potential contributing factor. Prior investigations have reported an increased abundance of in women with LSc, but findings regarding and have been inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the vulvar microbiome and LSc. Forty-seven women with LSc and seven healthy controls were recruited from the Division of Dermatology, Ryhov Hospital, Jönköping. Vulvar swabs were obtained from affected skin areas. The 16S rRNA regions were amplified and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq system. Differential abundance analyses were conducted using four regression methods, and genera were considered significant only if identified by at least two methods. Compared to controls, LSc patients showed reduced abundance of , , , , , and an unidentified genus belonging to the family. In contrast, and , were significantly increased. Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences in microbiome composition between groups ( = 0.022). The vulvar microbiome of women with LSc differs significantly from that of healthy controls. These findings support a possible role of microbial dysbiosis in LSc pathogenesis, highlighting the need for further research into microbiome-targeted interventions.
硬化性苔藓（LSc）是一种主要累及生殖器区域的慢性炎症性硬化性疾病。在女性中，外阴硬化性苔藓表现出广泛的临床特征，包括瘙痒、红斑、烧灼感、疼痛、排尿困难、结构扭曲、瘢痕形成以及象牙白色萎缩性斑块的形成。虽然LSc的确切病因尚不清楚，但越来越多的证据表明，长期接触尿液和闭塞可能在其发病机制中起核心作用。此外，生殖器微生物群的作用越来越受到关注，微生物群落失衡的生态失调已成为一个潜在的促成因素。先前的研究报告称，LSc女性中[具体微生物名称1]的丰度增加，但关于[具体微生物名称2]和[具体微生物名称3]的研究结果并不一致。本研究旨在探讨外阴微生物群与LSc之间的关系。从延雪平里霍夫医院皮肤科招募了47名LSc女性和7名健康对照。从受影响的皮肤区域获取外阴拭子。使用Illumina MiSeq系统扩增并测序16S rRNA区域。使用四种回归方法进行差异丰度分析，只有至少通过两种方法鉴定的属才被认为具有显著性。与对照组相比，LSc患者的[具体微生物名称4]、[具体微生物名称5]、[具体微生物名称6]、[具体微生物名称7]、[具体微生物名称8]和一个属于[具体菌科]的未鉴定属的丰度降低。相比之下，[具体微生物名称9]和[具体微生物名称10]显著增加。β多样性分析显示两组之间微生物群组成存在显著差异（P = 0.022）。LSc女性的外阴微生物群与健康对照者的外阴微生物群有显著差异。这些发现支持了微生物生态失调在LSc发病机制中可能起的作用，强调了进一步研究针对微生物群的干预措施的必要性。
