Gut virome dysbiosis contributes to premature ovarian insufficiency by modulating gut bacteriome

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) significantly impairs female fertility and poses substantial health risks; however, its pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and effective therapeutic interventions are limited. Although gut bacteriome has been closely associated with ovarian dysfunction, the role and therapeutic potential of gut viruses, which far outnumber bacteria, remain largely unexplored.

Therefore, we recruited 60 healthy reproductive-aged women and recently diagnosed POI patients and investigated these concerns using various techniques, including whole-genome shotgun sequencing of virus-like particle (VLP) and fecal virome transplantation (FVT) in CTX-induced POI rats. We found considerable interindividual variability in the gut virome. The virome of POI patients exhibited significant dysbiosis, characterized by a marked reduction in virulent phage, significant changes in predominant phages, and a notable increase in horizontal gene transfer of resistance genes and virulence factors. Furthermore, gut VLPs from the healthy reproductive-aged women significantly improved the condition of POI rats. Conversely, gut VLPs from POI patients markedly impaired the ovarian function and reproductive capacity of healthy rats. The above regulatory effect is primarily due to modulations of gut bacteriome, specifically the estrobolome, and intestinal barrier integrity, which subsequently affect hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis hormone levels and regulate ovarian oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby influencing ovarian function.

Our findings demonstrate the critical roles of the gut virome in regulating ovarian function and provide new insights into the pathogenesis of POI. This study also underscores the therapeutic potential of the gut virome in improving ovarian dysfunction and female infertility including POI.