Impact of Visceral Obesity on Structural and Functional Alterations of Gut Microbiota in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Pilot Study Using Metagenomic Analysis

Xuefeng Bai; Jiangxin Ma; Xiaohong Wu; Lingling Qiu; Rongfu Huang; Haibin Zhang; Huibin Huang; Xiaoyu Chen

doi:10.2147/DMSO.S388067

Impact of Visceral Obesity on Structural and Functional Alterations of Gut Microbiota in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Pilot Study Using Metagenomic Analysis

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2023 Jan 11:16:1-14. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S388067. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xuefeng Bai^#¹, Jiangxin Ma^#¹, Xiaohong Wu¹, Lingling Qiu², Rongfu Huang³, Haibin Zhang¹, Huibin Huang¹, Xiaoyu Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Endocrinology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Reproductive Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Clinical Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to identify structural and functional alterations of gut microbiota associated with visceral obesity in adult women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: Twenty-seven adults with PCOS underwent stool and fasting blood collection, oral glucose tolerance testing, and visceral fat area (VFA) measurement via dual-bioimpedance technique. Metagenomic analysis was used to analyze gut microbiota.

Results: PCOS patients were divided into three groups: visceral obesity group (PCOS-VO, n=9, age 28.33±5.68 years, BMI 37.06±4.27 kg/m², VFA 128.67±22.45 cm²), non-visceral obesity group (PCOS-NVO, n=10, age 25.40±4.53, BMI 30.74±3.95, VFA 52.00±24.04), normal BMI group (PCOS-NB, n=8, age 27.88±2.53, BMI 21.56±2.20, VFA 27.00±21.18), with no statistical difference in age (P>0.05) and significantly statistical differences in BMI and VFA (P<0.05). The groups showed a significant difference in microbial β-diversity between PCOS-VO and PCOS-NVO (P=0.002) and no difference between PCOS-NVO and PCOS-NB (P=0.177). Bacteroidetes was the phylum with the highest relative abundance among all patients, followed by Firmicutes. Those with visceral obesity had a higher abundance of Prevotella, Megamonas, and Dialister genera, positively correlated with metabolic markers (r>0.4, P<0.05), and lower abundance of Phascolarctobacterium and Neisseria genera, negatively correlated with metabolic markers (r<-0.4, P<0.05). Functional annotation analysis showed significant differences in relative abundance of ribosome pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, and sphingolipid signaling pathway between groups, affecting lipid homeostasis and visceral fat accumulation.

Conclusion: Alteration in β-diversity of gut microbiota exists in PCOS with visceral obesity versus those without visceral obesity and relates to functional differences in ribosomes, fatty acid biosynthesis, and sphingolipid signaling pathways.

Keywords: gut microbiota; metagenomic analysis; polycystic ovary syndrome; visceral fat area; visceral obesity.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Startup Fund for scientific research, Fujian Medical University (2018QH1102), Fujian Provincial Health Research Talents Training Project (2019-1-48), Fujian Provincial Health Research Talents Training Project (2019-ZQN-66), and Clinical Key Specialty Construction Project of Fujian Province.