ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sec. Intestinal Microbiome

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1627519

This article is part of the Research TopicRole of Gut Microbiota-Host Interaction Mechanisms in the Musculoskeletal Health of Middle-Aged and Elderly PopulationsView all articles

Gut microbiota changes in postmenopausal women with low bone density linked to serum amino acid metabolism

Provisionally accepted
Adriana Becerra-CerveraAdriana Becerra-Cervera1,2Rogelio F Jiménez-OrtegaRogelio F Jiménez-Ortega3,4Diana I Aparicio-BautistaDiana I Aparicio-Bautista1Berenice Palacios-GonzalezBerenice Palacios-Gonzalez5Marcela Vela-AmievaMarcela Vela-Amieva6Isabel Ibarra-GonzálezIsabel Ibarra-González7Samuel Canizales- QuinterosSamuel Canizales- Quinteros8Jorge SalmerónJorge Salmerón9Berenice Rivera-ParedezBerenice Rivera-Paredez9Rafael Velazquez-CruzRafael Velazquez-Cruz1*
  • 1National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN), Mexico City, Mexico
  • 2Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación (SECIHTI), Mexico City, Mexico
  • 3Clínica Integral Universitaria (CIU). Universidad Estatal del Valle de Ecatepec (UNEVE), Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico
  • 4Programa Investigadoras e Investigadores. Consejo Mexiquense de Ciencia y Tecnología (COMECYT), Ecatepec de Morelos, Mexico
  • 5Laboratorio de Genómica del Envejecimiento del Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), en el Centro de Investigación sobre Envejecimiento (CIE-CINVESTAV Sur)., Mexico City, Mexico
  • 6Laboratorio de Errores Innatos del Metabolismo y Tamiz, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 7Unidad de Genética de la Nutrición, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 8Unidad de Genómica de Poblaciones Aplicada a la Salud, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Química-UNAM/Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 9Centro de Investigación en Políticas, Población y Salud (CIPPS) de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM),, Mexico City, Mexico

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The gut microbiota (GM) has been linked to changes in bone mineral density (BMD), potentially contributing to the development of osteopenia or osteoporosis. Although the relationship between specific bacterial taxa and bone remodeling has been documented in various populations, data on the Mexican population remain limited. This study aimed to analyze the changes in the taxonomic composition of GM associated with low BMD (osteopenia/osteoporosis) and explore potential mechanisms influencing bone metabolism in Mexican postmenopausal women.Methods: BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. GM composition was analyzed through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing in Mexican postmenopausal women. Metabolic functions were predicted using PICRUSt2 based on KEGG pathways at hierarchy level 3. Serum amino acid (AA) concentrations were measured in a sub-sample using tandem mass spectrometry.Results: Our findings indicated that beta diversity significantly differed among BMD groups (p<0.05). Women with low BMD showed higher relative abundances of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Barnesiella, Odoribacter, Sutterella, Butyricimonas, Coprobacter, Angelakisiella, and Oscillibacter. Functional prediction revealed differences in alanine, valine, leucine, and methionine-related metabolic pathways. These findings were supported by lower serum concentrations of valine, leucine, and methionine in the low BMD group compared to the normal BMD group (p<0.05).This study provides evidence of the relationship between GM composition and AA concentrations with changes in BMD. These findings highlight promising areas for the development of potential therapeutic interventions

Keywords: bone mineral density, Gut Microbiota, postmenopausal women, Amino Acids, Bone health

Received: 12 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Becerra-Cervera, Jiménez-Ortega, Aparicio-Bautista, Palacios-Gonzalez, Vela-Amieva, Ibarra-González, Canizales- Quinteros, Salmerón, Rivera-Paredez and Velazquez-Cruz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Rafael Velazquez-Cruz, National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN), Mexico City, Mexico

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