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Distinct Gut Microbiota Structure and Function of Children with Idiopathic Central and Peripheral Precocious Puberty

Congfu Huang1, Haiying Liu2, Wei Yang3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, China.

International Journal of Endocrinology
|November 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children with precocious puberty (PP) have distinct gut microbiota (GM) compared to healthy children. This study reveals differences in GM composition and function, suggesting GM as a potential therapeutic target for PP.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Precocious puberty (PP) is a common pediatric endocrine disorder with unknown pathogenesis.
  • Emerging research highlights the gut-brain axis and the gut microbiota's role in childhood endocrine diseases.
  • Understanding gut microbiota (GM) variations in different PP types is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare the gut microbiota composition and predicted functional pathways in children with idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP), peripheral precocious puberty (PPP), and healthy controls (HC).
  • To explore the relationship between gut microbiota and the different types of precocious puberty.
  • To provide a theoretical basis for gut microbiota-based clinical interventions for PP.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 27 children with ICPP, 18 with PPP, and 23 healthy children (HC).
  • Performed 16S rDNA sequencing on stool samples to analyze gut microbiota composition.
  • Utilized bioinformatics to predict metabolic pathways and analyze microbial community structure and function.

Main Results:

  • Children with ICPP and PPP exhibited significantly higher gut microbiota diversity (OTUs, annotated genera, α-diversity) compared to HC.
  • Increased abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (e.g., Prevotella, Roseburia) was observed in ICPP and PPP groups, while Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium were higher in HC.
  • Metabolic pathway analysis revealed enrichment in cell motility, signal transduction, and environmental adaptation in ICPP/PPP groups, and reduced carbohydrate metabolism compared to HC.

Conclusions:

  • Gut microbiota composition and predicted functional patterns differ significantly between children with ICPP/PPP and healthy children.
  • Peripheral precocious puberty (PPP) may represent an intermediate stage between idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) and healthy controls.
  • These findings support the gut microbiota as a potential target for therapeutic interventions in precocious puberty.

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