Prostatitis, a common health issue affecting adult men globally, poses significant challenges to quality of life and can lead to psychological distress. Despite extensive research, the etiology and pathological mechanisms of prostatitis remain complex and heterogeneous.
Researches carried out genetic analysis investigating the association between GM composition and prostatitis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.
Key Findings:
Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
- GM Taxa Associated with Increased Prostatitis Risk:
- Genus ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09โ1.71) and genus ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ข (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02โ1.43) were positively associated with an increased risk of prostatitis.
- These findings suggest that higher abundance of ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข and ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ข in the gut microbiota may contribute to an elevated risk of developing prostatitis.
2. GM Taxa with Potential Protective Effects Against Prostatitis:
- Phylum ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ช๐ข (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58โ0.98) and genus ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.70โ1.00) exhibited a negative association with prostatitis.
- These results suggest that higher levels of ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ช๐ข and ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข may confer a protective effect against the development of prostatitis.
3. Consistency Across MR Analysis Methods:
- Multiple MR analysis methods, including inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode, and maximum likelihood (ML), yielded consistent results supporting the associations between specific GM taxa and prostatitis risk.
- Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the main findings, indicating minimal influence from heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy.
4. Potential Mechanisms:
- Genus Sutterella and Holdemania may contribute to prostatitis risk through mechanisms involving intestinal barrier function compromise and induction of pro-inflammatory responses.
- Phylum ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ช๐ข and genus ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ข may exert protective effects against prostatitis by enhancing host immune responses, modulating inflammation, and promoting hormonal balance.
5. Limitations and Future Directions:
- The study was limited by the availability of genetic data at the genus taxonomic level, precluding analysis at the species level.
- Subgroup analysis based on prostatitis subtypes was not feasible due to data limitations, highlighting the need for further research in this area.
- Population stratification may have affected the generalization of findings beyond European ancestry populations, warranting replication studies in diverse ethnic groups.
This genetic analysis provides novel insights into the potential causal relationship between GM composition and prostatitis risk. The identification of specific GM taxa associated with prostatitis susceptibility highlights the importance of GM modulation in preventive and therapeutic strategies for prostatitis. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and validate these findings in diverse populations.
Link to the study : https://tinyurl.com/95przacw
