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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1513599
This article is part of the Research Topic Intestinal microenvironment and autoimmune diseases View all articles

Perturbations in gut microbiota composition in patients with autoimmune neurological diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Xiaolin Deng Xiaolin Deng Xue Gong Xue Gong Dong Zhou Dong Zhou Zhen Hong Zhen Hong *
  • West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Studies suggest gut dysbiosis occurs in autoimmune neurological diseases, but a comprehensive synthesis of the evidence is lacking. Our aim was to systematically review and meta-analyze the correlation between the gut microbiota and autoimmune neurological disorders to inform clinical diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. We searched the databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library until March 1, 2024, for research on the correlation between gut microbiota and autoimmune neurological disorders. Sixty-two studies provided data and were included in the analysis (n = 3126 patients, n = 2843 healthy individuals). Among the included studies, 42 studies provided data on α-diversity. Regarding α-diversity, except for Chao1, which showed a consistent small decrease (SMD = -0.26, 95%CI = -0.45, -0.07, P < 0.01), other indices demonstrated no significant changes. While most studies reported significant differences in β-diversity, consistent differences were only observed in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. A decrease in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)producing bacteria, including Faecalibacterium and Roseburia, was observed in individuals with autoimmune encephalitis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, myasthenia gravis, as well as multiple sclerosis. Conversely, an increase in pathogenic or opportunistic pathogens, including Streptococcus and Escherichia-Shigella, was observed in these patients. Subgroup analyses assessed the confounding effects of geography and immunotherapy use. These findings suggest that disturbances of the gut flora are associated with autoimmune neurological diseases, primarily manifesting as non-specific and shared microbial alterations, including a reduction in SCFA-producing bacteria and an increase in pathogenic or opportunistic pathogens.

    Keywords: Gut Microbiota, gut dysbiosis, Autoimmune neurological diseases, Systematic review, metaanalysis

    Received: 18 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Deng, Gong, Zhou and Hong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhen Hong, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.