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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Systems Microbiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1421608

Sex differences and testosterone interfere with the structure of the gut microbiota through the bile acid signaling pathway

Provisionally accepted
Xueqing Duan Xueqing Duan 1Yinli Nie Yinli Nie 1Xin Xie Xin Xie 1Qi Zhang Qi Zhang 1Chen Zhu Chen Zhu 1Han Zhu Han Zhu 1Rui Chen Rui Chen 1Jun Xu Jun Xu 1Jinqiang Zhang Jinqiang Zhang 1Changfu Yang Changfu Yang 1Qi Yu Qi Yu 1Kun Cai Kun Cai 1Yong Wang Yong Wang 2Weiyi Tian Weiyi Tian 1*
  • 1 Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
  • 2 Other, Shanghai, China

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

    The gut microbiome has a significant impact on human wellness, contributing to the emergence and progression of a range of health issues including inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular problems, and psychiatric disorders. Notably, clinical observations have revealed that these illnesses can display differences in incidence and presentation between genders. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the composition of gut microbiota is associated with sex-specific differences and to elucidate the mechanism.16S-rRNA-sequencing technology, hormone analysis, gut microbiota transplantation, gonadectomy, and hormone treatment were employed to investigate the correlation between the gut microbiome and sex or sex hormones. Meanwhile, genes and proteins involved bile acid signaling pathway were analyzed both in the liver and ileum tissues.The composition and diversity of the microbiota from the jejunum and feces and the level of sex hormones in the serum differed between the sexes in young and middle-aged Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. However, no similar phenomenon was found in geriatric rats. Interestingly, whether in young, middle-aged, or old rats, the composition of the microbiota and bacterial diversity differed between the jejunum and feces in rats. Gut microbiota transplantation, gonadectomy, and hormone replacement also suggested that hormones, particularly testosterone (T), influenced the composition of the gut microbiota in rats. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein level of genes involved bile acid signaling pathway (specifically SHP, FXR, CYP7A1, and ASBT) exhibited gender-specific differences, and T may play a significant role in mediating the expression of this pathway.Sex-specific differences in the structure of the gut microbiota are mediated by T through the bile acid signaling pathway, pointing to potential targets for disease prevention and management techniques by indicating that sex differences and T levels may alter the composition of the gut microbiota via the bile acid signaling pathway.

    Keywords: sex differences, Gut Microbiota, composition, Testosterone, bile acid signaling pathway

    Received: 23 Apr 2024; Accepted: 26 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Duan, Nie, Xie, Zhang, Zhu, Zhu, Chen, Xu, Zhang, Yang, Yu, Cai, Wang and Tian. 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: Weiyi Tian, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 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.