Causal relationship between gut microbiota and risk of esophageal cancer: evidence from Mendelian randomization study

Abstract

Background: The causative implications remain ambiguous. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the putative causal relationship between gut microbiota and Esophageal cancer (EC). Methods: The genome-wide association study (GWAS) pertaining to the microbiome, derived from the MiBioGen consortium-which consolidates 18,340 samples across 24 population-based cohorts-was utilized as the exposure dataset. Employing the GWAS summary statistics specific to EC patients sourced from the GWAS Catalog and leveraging the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology, the principal analytical method applied was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) technique. Cochran’s Q statistic was utilized to discern heterogeneity inherent in the data set. Subsequently, a reverse MR analysis was executed. Results: Findings derived from the IVW technique elucidated that the Family Porphyromonadaceae (P = 0.048) and Genus Candidatus Soleaferrea (P = 0.048) function as deterrents against EC development. In contrast, the Genus Catenibacterium (P = 0.044), Genus Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group (P = 0.038), Genus Marvinbryantia (P = 0.049), Genus Ruminococcaceae UCG010 (P = 0.034), Genus Ruminococcus1 (P = 0.047), and Genus Sutterella (P = 0.012) emerged as prospective risk contributors for EC. To assess reverse causal effect, we used EC as the exposure and the gut microbiota as the outcome, and this analysis revealed associations between EC and seven different types of gut microbiota. The robustness of the MR findings was substantiated through comprehensive heterogeneity and pleiotropy evaluations. Conclusions: This research identified certain microbial taxa as either protective or detrimental elements for EC, potentially offering valuable biomarkers for asymptomatic diagnosis and prospective therapeutic interventions for EC.

Improving precision management of anxiety disorders: a Mendelian randomization study targeting specific gut microbiota and associated metabolites

“…Another study provided further evidence that remodeling the gut microbiota by restoring dysbiosis characterized by the presence of genus Eubacterium nodatum group and other relevant bacterial genera effectively improved the disruption of the gut-brain barrier, thereby providing a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of cerebral ischemic stroke ( Chen et al, 2019 ). The genus Ruminococcaceae UCG011 and genus Ruminococcaceae UCG010 , belonging to family Ruminococcaceae , have been reported as associated with some diseases such as leukemia ( Chen et al, 2023 ), type 2 diabetes ( Li and Li, 2023 ), and esophageal cancer ( Wang et al, 2024 ), but they have yet to be studies in the context of mental health disorders. However, multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that psychological distress and mental illness, such as depression and anxiety, are associated with alterations in the abundance of Ruminococcaceae family members ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Chin Fatt et al, 2023 ), and animal studies have suggested that regulating the abundance of Ruminococcaceae family members with various interventions can promote the production of SCFAs and other neurochemical-related metabolites.…”