The gut microbiota is a complex system, consisting of a dynamic population of microorganisms, involved in the regulation of the host’s homeostasis. A vast number of factors are driving the gut microbiota composition including diet, antibiotics, environment, and lifestyle. However, in the past decade, a growing number of studies also focused on the role of sex in relationship to changes in the gut microbiota composition in animal experiments as well as in human beings. Despite the progress in investigation techniques, still little is known about the mechanism behind the observed sex-related differences. In this review, we summarized current knowledge on the sex-dependent differences of the intestinal commensals and discuss the probable direct impact of sex hormones and more indirect effects such as dietary habits or antibiotics. While we have to conclude limited data on specific developmental stages, a clear role for sexual hormones and most probably for testosterone emerges.

肠道微生物群是一个复杂的系统，由动态的微生物群组成，参与宿主体内平衡的调节。许多因素正在推动肠道微生物群的组成，包括饮食、抗生素、环境和生活方式。然而，在过去十年中，越来越多的研究也关注性别与动物实验以及人类肠道微生物群组成变化的关系。尽管调查技术取得了进步，但对观察到的性别相关差异背后的机制仍知之甚少。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前关于肠道共生体的性别依赖性差异的知识，并讨论了性激素可能的直接影响和更间接的影响，如饮食习惯或抗生素。