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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1541683
Exploring the Gut Microbiome and Serum Metabolome Interplay in Non-Functioning Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors
Provisionally accepted
Jifang Liu 
Zhang Ye *
Yi Zhang 
Wan Su 
Jie Liu Tianqi Chen * Yanan Shi *
Lulu Liu Jiao Lu * Zian Cai * Qing Zhong * Pei Wang * Jun Pu * Jinghua Liu * Yuchen Wei *
Hui Pan 
Huijuan Zhu 
Kan Deng 
Renzhi Wang Lin Lu * Xiaomin Hu *
Yong Yao *- Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
The gut microbiome has emerged as a potential factor in cancer pathogenesis, but its role in nonfunctioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (NF-PitNETs) remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate gut microbiome and metabolomic alterations in NF-PitNETs by comparing microbial diversity, pathogenic bacteria, and serum metabolomic profiles between NF-PitNET patients and healthy controls. The gut microbiome was assessed through 16S rRNA sequencing, while serum metabolomics was analyzed using mass spectrometry. Correlation analyses identified potential links between microbial characteristics and metabolic markers. The results revealed that specific pathogenic bacteria, such as Bacteroides, were significantly enriched in NF-PitNET patients. Multiomics correlations suggested that altered microbiota might contribute to NF-PitNET pathogenesis by modulating host metabolic pathways. These findings highlight the potential role of gut microbiome dysbiosis and its metabolic effects in NF-PitNET development, offering insights into possible therapeutic and diagnostic targets.
Keywords: NF-PitNETs, Gut Microbiota, serum metabolomics, Microbiome-metabolome interactions, Tumor aggressiveness
Received: 08 Dec 2024; Accepted: 12 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Ye, Zhang, Su, Liu, Chen, Shi, Liu, Lu, Cai, Zhong, Wang, Pu, Liu, Wei, Pan, Zhu, Deng, Wang, Lu, Hu and Yao. 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:
Zhang Ye, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Tianqi Chen, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Yanan Shi, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Jiao Lu, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Zian Cai, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Qing Zhong, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Pei Wang, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Jun Pu, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Jinghua Liu, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Yuchen Wei, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Lin Lu, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Xiaomin Hu, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
Yong Yao, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
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