Crosstalk Between Female Gonadal Hormones and Vaginal Microbiota Across Various Phases of Women’s Gynecological Lifecycle

Kaur, Harrisham; Merchant, Mitali; Haque, Mohammed Monzoorul; Mande, Sharmila S.

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00551

Cited by 87 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Consistent with the present results, a recent meta-analysis supports the proposal that Lactobacillus growth in the vaginal environment is hormone-driven (31). While many reports have focused on how estrogens may promote Lactobacillus growth, less attention has been given to the possible role of progestins (32,38,(40)(41)(42)(43).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…In contrast, another study found no change in alpha diversity during menses, despite a decrease in stability (32). It is also unclear whether the menstrual changes indicate a relationship between vaginal microbiota and estrogen levels (31,32,38,(40)(41)(42)(43) or other factors such as progesterone levels (44) or the presence of menstrual blood (16). Whether diet, exercise, or even mood interact with vaginal microbiota is less understood, even though the influences of these host factors have been studied extensively in other microbial systems, including the gut microbiome (45)(46)(47).…”

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confidence: 95%

“…Despite the dominance of Lactobacillus in most vaginal microbiomes, the composition of any given vaginal microbiome is highly individualized. Moreover, vaginal microbial profiles are dynamic and may change over time (31), even transitioning between two community types within a few days (32). Therefore, it is important to understand the host-microbiome interactions that regulate the vaginal microbiota and drive such individualization.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, it is important to understand the host-microbiome interactions that regulate the vaginal microbiota and drive such individualization. Several host factors that influence the vaginal microbiota have been identified, including menses (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37), intercourse (38,39), and hormonal contraceptive use (38,(40)(41)(42). However, the exact nature and mechanism of how these components regulate vaginal microbiota remain unknown.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Daily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and Exercise

Song

Acharya

Zhu

et al. 2020

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ABSTRACT The microorganisms of the vaginal tract are critical for vaginal and reproductive health. However, the regulation of these microorganisms is not well understood. Therefore, we investigated whether different factors regulate the vaginal microbiota of healthy college-aged women (n = 26) with high temporal resolution by collecting daily self-administered vaginal swabs and using 16S rRNA sequencing for bacterial identification. As expected, vaginal microbiota clustered into five predefined community state types. Vaginal microbial diversity, stability, and Lactobacillus abundances were associated with the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use. Vaginal microbial diversity, as measured using the Shannon index, increased during menses (P < 0.001), while Lactobacillus abundances decreased (P = 0.01). The covariance of these microbial measures with previously established estradiol levels suggests that estrogens can regulate vaginal microbiota. Moreover, the use of hormonal contraceptives may alter the temporal dynamics of the vaginal microbiota and decrease Lactobacillus abundances, depending on hormonal content and release method. Interestingly, intrasample diversity was greater in participants on a vegetarian diet (P = 0.004) and among participants who exercised more (P = 0.04). These findings indicate that ovarian hormones, diet, and exercise can regulate vaginal microbial composition and stability and may impact vaginal and reproductive health. IMPORTANCE The vaginal microbiome is a critical component of women’s sexual and reproductive health, with variations in microbial composition, particularly the loss of Lactobacillus species, being implicated in gynecologic and obstetric diseases. Given that the vaginal microbiome is so crucial, why do vaginal microbial profiles vary strikingly from person to person and even change over time within the same person? In the present study, which tracked the daily vaginal microbiomes of young healthy women through different lifestyles, we found that use of a locally released progestin contraceptive, a vegetarian diet, and intense exercise appear to lead to vaginal microbiome alterations and loss of Lactobacillus species. The impact of these vaginal microbiome changes on immediate and long-term health remain to be investigated.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

mentioning

confidence: 95%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Daily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and Exercise

Song

Acharya

Zhu

et al. 2020

mSphere

130

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The proliferative phase of the uterine cycle coincides with the follicular phase of the ovarian cycle, which overlaps menstruation. +, increase; -, decrease; *cyclical change in intracellular glycogen content(2,26,27,31,51).…”

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confidence: 99%

Female Gut and Genital Tract Microbiota-Induced Crosstalk and Differential Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Immune Sequelae

2020

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The gut and genital tract microbiota of females represent very complex biological ecosystems that are in continuous communication with each other. The crosstalk between these two ecosystems impacts host physiological, immunological and metabolic homeostasis and vice versa. The vaginal microbiota evolved through a continuous translocation of species from the gut to the vagina or through a motherto-child transfer during delivery. Though the organisms retain their physio-biochemical characteristics while in the vagina, the immune responses elicited by their metabolic byproducts appear to be at variance with those in the gut. This has critical implications for the gynecological, reproductive as well as overall wellbeing of the host and by extension her offspring. The homeostatic and immunomodulatory effects of the bacterial fermentation products (short chain fatty acids, SCFAs) in the gut are better understood compared to the genital tract. While gut SCFAs prevent a leakage of bacteria and bacterial products from the gut in to circulation (leaky gut) and consequent systemic inflammation (anti-inflammatory/protective role); they have been shown to exhibit dysbiotic and proinflammatory effects in the genital tract that can lead to unfavorable gynecological and reproductive outcomes. Therefore, this review was conceived to critically examine the correlation between the female gut and genital tract microbiota. Secondly, we explored the metabolic patterns of the respective microbiota niches; and thirdly, we described the diverse effects of products of bacterial fermentation on immunological responses in the vaginal and rectal ecosystems.

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HPV‐related cervical diseases: Alteration of vaginal microbiotas and promising potential for diagnosis

Rao

Fan

et al. 2022

Journal of Medical Virology

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Vaginal microbiota is closely associated with women's health, however, the correlation between HPV‐related cervical disease (HRCD) and vaginal microbiota is still obscure. In this study, patients with HRCD (n = 98) and healthy controls (n = 58) in Hangzhou were recruited, and their vaginal microbiota were collected and analyzed. The composition of the vaginal microbial community was explored, and a disease classification model was developed by random forest algorithm. The results suggested that the diversity of vaginal microbiota was significantly higher in HRCDs than that in healthy controls (p < 0.05). Firmicutes is the dominant phylum in vaginal microbiota, and Lactobacillus was identified as the most altered genus between two groups (p < 0.01). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis suggested the difference in vaginal microbial community functions between two groups. Furthermore, we identified 10 biomarkers as the optimal marker sets for the random forest model and found a higher probability of disease values in HRCD group in discovery cohort (p < 0.0001), with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve reaching 89.7% (95% confidence interval: 78.3%–100%). We further validated the model in both validation and independent diagnosis cohorts, confirming its accuracy in the prediction of HRCD. In conclusion, this study revealed the community composition of vaginal microbiota in HRCDs and successfully constructed a diagnostic model for HRCD.

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Crosstalk Between Female Gonadal Hormones and Vaginal Microbiota Across Various Phases of Women’s Gynecological Lifecycle

Cited by 87 publications

References 111 publications

Daily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and Exercise

Daily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and Exercise

Female Gut and Genital Tract Microbiota-Induced Crosstalk and Differential Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Immune Sequelae

HPV‐related cervical diseases: Alteration of vaginal microbiotas and promising potential for diagnosis

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