Gut Microbiota in Primary Osteoporosis: a Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bone Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Growing evidence links gut microbiota (GM) to primary osteoporosis.
• Understanding this relationship is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on the gut microbiota's role in primary osteoporosis.
• To identify potential therapeutic targets and suggest improvements for future research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 10 studies using high-throughput sequencing.
• Analysis of mechanistic studies to identify potential targets.
• Appraisal of limitations in current sequencing techniques and experimental designs.

Main Results:

• Significant heterogeneity was observed in the taxonomic profiles of gut microbiota across studies.
• Mechanistic studies identified potential targets for osteoporosis prevention and treatment.
• Limitations in current methodologies were identified.

Conclusions:

• Gut microbiota plays a role in osteoporosis pathogenesis.
• Standardized sequencing techniques and robust experimental designs are needed.
• Future research should focus on large, longitudinal, multi-omics studies with extended phenotypes.