The Gut Microbiota Involvement in the Panorama of Muscular Dystrophy Pathogenesis

Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are genetically heterogeneous diseases characterized by primary skeletal muscle atrophy. The collapse of muscle structure and irreversible degeneration of tissues promote the occurrence of comorbidities, including cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to inflammation, fibrosis, and adipogenic cellular infiltrates that exacerbate the symptomatology of MD patients. Gastrointestinal disorders and metabolic anomalies are common in MD patients and may be determined by the interaction between the intestine and its microbiota. Therefore, the gut-muscle axis is one of the actors involved in the spread of inflammatory signals to all muscles. In this review, we aim to examine in depth how intestinal dysbiosis can modulate the metabolic state, the immune response, and mitochondrial biogenesis in the course and progression of the most investigated MDs such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (MD1), to better identify gut microbiota metabolites working as therapeutic adjuvants to improve symptoms of MD.