AUTHOR=Zhang Minna , Zhai Zhiyuan , Yang Bo , He Le , Wang Jingyi , Dai Weijie , Xue Liujun , Yang Xiaozhong , Feng Yun , Wang Honggang 

TITLE=Exploring the alteration of gut microbiota and brain function in gender-specific Parkinson’s disease based on metagenomic sequencing

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1148546

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2023.1148546

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=Background: The effect of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s disease (PD) has received increasing attention. It has been established that gender differences play an essential role in the epidemiology and clinical significance of PD. However, there are no studies on the sex specificity of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the development and progression of PD. Methods: Fresh fecal samples from 24 patients (13 males, 11 females) with PD were collected for metagenomic sequencing. The composition and function of the gut microbiota of PD patients of different genders were analyzed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Differences in brain ALFF values in PD patients of different genders and their correlation with microbiota were further analyzed. Results: The relative abundance of propionivibrio, Thermosediminibacter, Flavobacteriaceae_noname, etc were increased in the Male PD patients. LEfse analysis showed that Verrucomicrobial, AKKermansiaceae, and AKKermanisa were dominant in the males. In female patients, the relative abundance of Propionicicella was decreased and Escherichia, Escherichia_coli, and Lachnospiraceae were predominant. The sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis pathway was expressed increased in male PD patients and were statistically different from female patients. Compared to the Male PD patients, the female patients showed decreased ALFF values in the left inferior parietal regions, and the relative abundance of Propionivibrio was positively correlated with the regional ALFF values. 
Conclusion: Our study adds new evidence that gut microbiota alterations in PD patients are related to brain function from a gender-specific perspective. This study provides insights into the underlying effect of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in gender differences in PD.