Gut microbiota plays roles in host physiology including endocrine function. Although some data suggest a potential connection between biological sex differences and gut microbiota, the connection between sex steroid hormones and gut microbes remained unexplored. The current study investigates the relationship between gut microbes and serum levels of testosterone in men and estradiol in women. Fecal microbiota from a total of 57 men (n = 31) and women (n = 26) were assessed using 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Based on the levels of serum testosterone and estradiol in men and women, respectively, participants were stratified into three groups of Low, Medium, and High. Microbiome communities were analyzed as a function of the steroid hormone within sex. Men and women in the High group harbored more diverse gut microbial communities than others. In men, the abundance of Acinetobacter, Dorea, Ruminococcus, and Megamonas correlated significantly with testosterone levels. Women in the High group have more Bacteroidetes and less Firmicutes phyla than those in the Low group. Genera Slackia and Butyricimonas were significantly correlated with estradiol levels. These results demonstrate that sex steroid hormone levels are correlated with diversity and gut microbial composition, and provide fundamental information helpful for developing communication networks between human and microbial communities.

中文翻译：

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血清性类固醇激素水平与人类肠道微生物组的多样性和特征有关。

肠道菌群在包括内分泌功能在内的宿主生理中起作用。尽管一些数据表明生物学上的性别差异与肠道菌群之间存在潜在的联系，但性类固醇激素与肠道微生物之间的联系仍待探索。目前的研究调查了肠道微生物与男性睾丸激素水平和女性雌二醇之间的关系。使用16s rRNA基因测序评估了总共57名男性（n = 31）和女性（n = 26）的粪便菌群。根据男性和女性的血清睾丸激素和雌二醇水平，将参与者分为低，中和高三组。分析了微生物组群落与性别内类固醇激素的关系。高级别人群中的男人和女人拥有比其他人更多的肠道微生物群落。在男人里 不动杆菌，多雷亚，Ruminococcus和Megamonas的丰度与睾丸激素水平显着相关。高等级组的妇女比低等级组的妇女有更多的拟杆菌科和较少的硬毛门。Slackia和Butyricimonas属与雌二醇水平显着相关。这些结果表明，性类固醇激素水平与多样性和肠道微生物组成相关，并提供了有助于发展人类与微生物群落之间交流网络的基本信息。