AUTHOR=Yao Hang , Chen Jiahao , Wang Yu , Li Yuxin , Jiang Qingling 

TITLE=Assessing causal relationships between gut microbiota and abortion: evidence from two sample Mendelian randomization analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2024.1415730

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2024.1415730

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>While some studies have suggested a link between gut microbiota (GM) and abortion, the causal relationship remains unclear.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>To explore the causal relationship between GM and abortion, including spontaneous abortion (SA) and habitual abortion (HA), we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We used summary statistics data from MiBioGen and FinnGen for genome-wide association studies (GWAS), with GM data as the exposure variable and abortion data as the outcome variable.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>In the absence of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy, the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method identified five genetically predicted GM genera linked to the risk of abortions. <italic>Lactococcus</italic> was negatively correlated with the risk of SA, whereas the <italic>Eubacterium fissicatena</italic> group was positively correlated with the risk of SA. Genetic predictions of <italic>Coprococcus3</italic> and <italic>Odoribacter</italic> were linked to a reduced risk of HA, while the <italic>Eubacterium ruminantium</italic> group was associated with an increased risk of HA.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Our study suggests a genetic causal relationship between specific GM and two types of abortions, improving our understanding of the pathological relationship between GM and abortion.</p></sec>