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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.

Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1674549

This article is part of the Research TopicWomen in Infectious Agents and Disease: 2025View all 4 articles

Association of Placental Manganese Levels, Maternal Gut Microbiota, and Preeclampsia: A Tripartite Perspective

Provisionally accepted
Tianze  DingTianze Ding1Xiaoli  HuangXiaoli Huang2Shiwei  AiShiwei Ai1Pu  YudongPu Yudong2Wenting  ZhaoWenting Zhao1Shuzhen  HeShuzhen He2*Yuhui  DangYuhui Dang1*
  • 1Lanzhou University School of Public Health, Lanzhou, China
  • 2Songshan Lake Central Hospital of Dongguan, Dongguan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background Preeclampsia (PE), a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity, remains poorly understood mechanistically. While metal elements like manganese (Mn) are critical for placental function, their interplay with gut microbiota in PE pathogenesis is underexplored. This study evaluates placental heavy metal exposure—particularly Mn—and its interaction with gut microbiota in modulating PE risk. Methods The study included 21 healthy pregnant women (Control group), and 21 pregnant women diagnosed with PE (PE group). Placental samples were collected to measure metal elements concentrations, while fecal samples were obtained to assess gut microbiota composition. Associations between gut microbiota, PE, and placental Mn levels were analyzed using the Analysis of Composition of Microbiomes with Bias Correction 2 method. Additionally, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was conducted to identify metabolic pathways linked to PE and Mn levels. Results Mn levels were significantly lower in the PE group compared to the Control group (P = 0.002). Gut microbiota diversity showed no significant differences between groups, but specific genera were linked to PE and Mn levels: Campylobacter and Porphyromonas were positively correlated with PE and negatively with Mn, while Coprobacillus showed the opposite pattern. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified eight metabolic pathways negatively associated with PE and positively linked to Mn, including the degradation of aromatic compounds. Conclusion Our findings suggest that Mn may serve as a protective factor against PE within a certain concentration range. Interactions between Mn and specific bacterial genera (Coprobacillus, Campylobacter, and Porphyromonas) appear to influence PE development by altering gut microbiota metabolic activities. These findings underscore the potential significance of the gut microbiota-Mn interplay in PE pathogenesis.

Keywords: Manganese, Preeclampsia, Gut Microbiota, Metabolic pathways, Placenta

Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ding, Huang, Ai, Yudong, Zhao, He and Dang. 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:
Shuzhen He, 2896010284@qq.com
Yuhui Dang, dangyh@lzu.edu.cn

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