Gut vs. vaginal microbiome in diabetes Progression: Key microbial shifts and implications

Hao Chen; Xuan Qiu; Shibo Lei; Yiming Zhao; Man Zhang; Mujie Gao; Rong Guo; Hailing Di; Jing Huang; Zheng Yu

doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107833

Gut vs. vaginal microbiome in diabetes Progression: Key microbial shifts and implications

Microb Pathog. 2025 Jun 24:206:107833. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107833. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hao Chen¹, Xuan Qiu², Shibo Lei¹, Yiming Zhao¹, Man Zhang¹, Mujie Gao³, Rong Guo⁴, Hailing Di⁵, Jing Huang⁶, Zheng Yu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Human Microbiome and Health Group, Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
² Department of Endocrinology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China; Hebei Medical University Clinical Medicine Postdoctoral Research Station, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
³ Department of Endocrinology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
⁴ Department of Academic Affairs, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
⁵ Department of Nutrition, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
⁶ Human Microbiome and Health Group, Department of Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
⁷ Human Microbiome and Health Group, Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address: yuzheng@csu.edu.cn.

PMID: 40571109
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107833

Abstract

Background: Dysiosis in gut and vaginal microbiome is implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathogenesis, but their contributions remain unclear. This study aims to compare their alterations and clinical relevance in diabetes development.

Methods: Metagenomic sequencing was performed on vaginal and fecal samples from T2D patients. Differential feature selection and correlation model were used to dissect microbial contributions to diabetic markers.

Results: Gut microbiota exhibited reduced diversity in T2D patients, with enrichment of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Adlercreutzia equolifaciens validated in public cohorts. Vaginal microbiota diversity remained unaffected. Furthermore, structural equation modeling revealed stronger gut microbiota associations with blood glucose and HbA1c. Notably, Romboutsia ilealis-derived pgm was enriched in the diabetes group, which could catalyze the production of glucose, suggesting that it may be involved in the progression of T2D.

Conclusion: Our findings establish the gut microbiome as the dominant driver of T2D progression, with R. ilealis emerging as a potential therapeutic target. This highlights the priority of gut-centric microbiota interventions in diabetes management.

Keywords: Diabetes; Gut microbiome; Romboutsia ilealis; Vaginal microbiome.