Causal association between gut microbiota and endometrial cancer in European and East Asian populations: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Abstract

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is a significant global health concern. While observational epidemiological studies suggest a potential link between gut microbiota dysbiosis and the development of EC, the direction and causality of this association remain uncertain.

Methods: We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and EC. Exposure data were obtained from the MiBioGen study consortium (N = 18,340), and outcome data were sourced from the IEU OpenGWAS database, specifically datasets "ebi-a-GCST006464" (N = 121,885) and "bbj-a-113" (N = 90,730). The inverse variance-weighted(IVW) method was applied to evaluate the association between gut microbiota composition and EC risk. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the robustness of the findings.

Results: Our study identified several microbial taxa linked to EC risk. In Europeans, genera such as Marvinbryantia, RuminococcaceaeUCG014, and Dorea exhibited protective effects, while family Erysipelotrichaceae (OR:1.224) and FamilyXI (OR:1.090) were significantly correlated with high EC risk. In East Asians, genera Lachnospira (OR:3.561) and family Bifidobacteriaceae (OR:1.715) were found associated with EC risk. Genera Lachnoclostridium and ErysipelotrichaceaeUCG003, family Coriobacteriaceae positively served as protective factors. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of our results, and there was no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Our analysis identified several microbial taxa associated with EC risk. In Europeans, genera such as Marvinbryantia, Ruminococcaceae UCG014, and Dorea demonstrated protective effects, while the families Erysipelotrichaceae (OR: 1.224) and FamilyXI (OR: 1.090) were significantly associated with increased EC risk. In East Asians, the genus Lachnospira (OR: 3.561) and the family Bifidobacteriaceae (OR: 1.715) were linked to higher EC risk, whereas the genera Lachnoclostridium and Erysipelotrichaceae UCG003 and the family Coriobacteriaceae were identified as protective factors. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the reliability of these results, with no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity.

Conclusion: This study highlights a relationship between gut microbiota and EC, emphasizing the potential of gut microbiota as therapeutic targets and biomarkers for assessing EC prognosis and treatment efficacy. These findings provide novel insights into the role of gut microbiota in the development and progression of EC.