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Ischaemic stroke patients present sex differences in gut microbiota
Miquel Lledós1,2, Luís Prats-Sánchez3, Laia Llucià-Carol1
1Stroke Pharmacogenomics and Genetics Laboratory, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain.
European Journal of Neurology
|June 17, 2023
Summary
Sex-specific gut microbiome differences exist in ischaemic stroke (IS). Higher Fusobacteriaceae levels in women are causally linked to increased IS risk, highlighting the importance of sex-stratified research.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Neurology
- Genetics
Background:
- The gut microbiota influences ischaemic stroke (IS) pathophysiology via the gut-brain axis.
- Limited understanding exists regarding sex-specific gut microbial signatures in IS occurrence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex-specific differences in the gut microbiota of IS patients.
- To determine the causal relationship between specific gut bacteria and IS risk in a sex-stratified manner.
Main Methods:
- Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze gut microbiota in 89 IS patients and 12 healthy controls.
- Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) with inverse-variance weighting (IVW) assessed causal effects using GWAS summary statistics from large cohorts.
Main Results:
- IS men exhibited higher gut microbial species richness compared to IS women.
- Significant sex differences were observed in IS patients concerning the phylum Fusobacteria and its related taxa (Fusobacteriaceae).
- Elevated Fusobacteriaceae levels were causally associated with an increased risk of IS (IVW p = 0.02).
Conclusions:
- This study reveals distinct gut microbiome profiles between men and women with IS.
- High levels of Fusobacteriaceae in women represent a specific risk factor for IS.
- Sex stratification is crucial for designing, analyzing, and interpreting studies on stroke and the gut microbiota.
