Iranian journal of biotechnology
Characteristics of Gut Microbiota in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Across Different Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Types
By Li H, Peng W, Huang X and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age, and accumulating evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays an important role in its pathogenesis, although microbiota characteristics across different Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types remain poorly understood.
Objective
This study aimed to analyze the structural differences in intestinal microbiota between patients with PCOS and healthy women. It also sought to characterize the fecal microbiota features across three distinct PCOS subgroups based on TCM syndrome differentiation.
Materials and methods
A total of 107 newly diagnosed PCOS patients and 23 healthy controls were recruited. The PCOS cohort was subdivided according to TCM syndromes into liver meridian depression and fire (n=34), spleen deficiency and phlegm-dampness (n=41), and kidney deficiency and blood stasis (n=32). Fecal samples were analyzed by sequencing the V3-V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rDNA gene to assess variations in bacterial species, diversity, and structure.