Alteration of gut microbiota in polycystic ovary syndrome patients and the correlated clinical parameters: a cross-sectional analysis study from Chinese women

Abstract Purpose To investigate gut microbiota in patients with PCOS and explore their relationships with metabolic and endocrine parameters. Methods The fecal samples obtained from patients with PCOS (n = 90) and healthy women without PCOS (n = 30) were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Anthropometry parameters of all subjects were measured and bloods were collected to detect endocrine, biochemical indexes and brain-gut peptides. Spearman correlation between 31 clinical parameters and 31 CAGs was performed to explore the relationship between gut microbiota and PCOS phenotype. Results Compared to the healthy controls, women with PCOS showed significant higher levels of weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, LH, LH/FSH, E2 and T. The PCOS group owned lower richness than the control both in PD whole tree and sobs indexes. There was no significance in β diversity between the two groups. LDA analysis showed that Bacteroides coprocola, Lachnoclostridium, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, Veillonella, Sutterella wadsworthensis, Megasphaera micronuciformis, Clostridium butyricum and Paraprevotella xylaniphila were the dominant bacteria in the PCOS patients. CAG 6 and 19, which were enriched in PCOS group, showed a positive correlation with the obesity, inflammation and hyperlipemia but a negative correlation with the Ghrelin and 5-HT. CAG18, 21, 25, 26 and 27 were enriched in controls but an opposite trend. Conclusion Diversity and abundance of gut microbiota decreased in patients with PCOS, which presented a negative correlation with the Ghrelin and 5-HT and positively connected to metabolic disorder and inflammation. The alteration of gut microflora might be an important pathological factor in the PCOS.