Sex-specific association between gut Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and hypertension in male individuals
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective While gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis has been implicated in hypertension, the sexassociated microbial signatures and their underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, particularly in populations living in unique geographical and climatic conditions. Design Through an integrated approach combining 16S rRNA sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and serum metabolomics, we systematically investigated the sex-associated characteristics of the gut microbiota in hypertension among a cohort of 200 participants from Xinjiang. Methods An initial cohort analysis identified Faecalibacterium as a male-associated biomarker for hypertension. Subsequent species-level characterization revealed that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii) showed significant negative correlations with systolic blood pressure (SBP). This male-specific association was consistently observed across both 16S rRNA sequencing and shotgun metagenomic datasets. Then, our integrated analysis suggested a potential pathway through which F. prausnitzii may be linked to systolic blood pressure in male individuals, with N-phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln) identified as a potential mediating metabolite. Conclusion Our study establishes a microbe–metabolite–clinical trait axis in the pathophysiology of sex-associated hypertension and significantly advances our understanding of sex-driven host–microbe interactions.
Source: Frontiers in Microbiology
Authors: Jing Fu, Guosen Bu, Salamaiti Aimaier, Yuchun Yang, Zhen Bao, Muhuyati Wulasihan
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W4417416719