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Cited by 45Gut microbiota and healthReproductive tract infections researchGenital Health and Disease

Potential role of the skin and gut microbiota in premenarchal vulvar lichen sclerosus: A pilot case-control study

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Chattopadhyay, Suhana, Arnold, Justin D., Malayil, Leena, Hittle, Lauren, Mongodin, Emmanuel F., Marathe, Kalyani S., Gomez-Lobo, Veronica, Sapkota, Amy R.·2021·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0245243PMC PMC7808574
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Abstract

The etiology of vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) remains unclear; however, alterations in cutaneous and gut microbiota may be contributing to the pathogenesis of this inflammatory condition. To explore this hypothesis, we conducted a pilot case-control study, obtaining dermal swab and stool samples from prepubertal girls with vulvar LS (n = 5), girls with nonspecific vulvovaginitis (n = 5), and healthy controls (n = 3). Samples (n = 56) were subjected to total DNA extractions. Resulting DNA was purified, subjected to PCR (targeting the V3V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene), sequenced, and analyzed using QIIME, MetagenomeSeq, and DESeq2 software packages. Our findings showed that there were significant differences in the cutaneous and gut microbiotas of girls with LS compared to controls. On the skin, girls with LS had a statistically significantly higher relative abundance of Porphyromonas spp., Parvimonas spp., Peptoniphilus spp., Prevotella spp., Dialister spp., and Peptostreptococcus spp., but a lower relative abundance of Cornyebacterium compared to the control group. In the gut samples, girls with LS had a significantly higher relative abundance of Dialister spp., Clostridiales spp., Paraprevotella spp., Escherichia coli, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Akkermansia muciniphila, and a lower relative abundance of Roseburia faecis and Ruminococcus bromii compared to controls. These results suggest a potential association between cutaneous and gut dysbiosis and pediatric vulvar LS. Future studies involving larger samples sizes are warranted to further evaluate this association.

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  • Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are essential for gut health because they fuel colonocytes, improve the integrity of the gut barrier, and control immunological responses.

    “SCFAs are essential for gut health because they fuel colonocytes, improve the integrity of the gut barrier, and control immunological responses.”

    From Unveiling the therapeutic symphony of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics in gut-immune harmony (2024) · cites this paper as [35]

    The Discussion states that butyrate, an SCFA, is the main energy source for the colonic epithelium and helps maintain immunity and inhibit inflammatory signaling. It does not say that SCFAs improve gut-barrier integrity. The Introduction discusses disruption of the skin barrier, which does not support the gut-barrier part of the claim. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Autoimmune illnesses, metabolic problems, and gastrointestinal issues are only some of the diseases and ailments that may be avoided by avoiding chronic inflammation.

    “Autoimmune illnesses, metabolic problems, and gastrointestinal issues are only some of the diseases and ailments that may be avoided by avoiding chronic inflammation (35, 36).”

    From Unveiling the therapeutic symphony of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics in gut-immune harmony (2024) · cites this paper as [35]

    The Introduction discusses inflammation in skin conditions, and the Discussion describes inflammatory mechanisms that may contribute to vulvar lichen sclerosus; neither says that avoiding chronic inflammation prevents disease. Searches for prevention, autoimmune illness, metabolic problems, and gastrointestinal conditions found no passage making the attributed claim. (LLM, conf=0.74)

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References 44 · Cited by 45

Research works printed but not linked: 39

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Authors
Chattopadhyay, S., Arnold, J. D., Malayil, L., Hittle, L., Mongodin, E. F., Marathe, K. S., Gomez-Lobo, V., & Sapkota, A. R.
Affiliations
  • University of Maryland, College Park (US)
  • George Washington University (US)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
  • Children's National (US)
Corresponding author
Sapkota, Amy R.
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2021-01-14
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
e0245243
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0245243
PMC
PMC7808574
OpenAlex
W3120995616
Cited by
45
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7
FWCI
2.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Reproductive tract infections research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Genital Health and Disease
Keywords
vulvar lichen sclerosus, prepubertal girls, skin microbiome, gut microbiota, dysbiosis, Porphyromonas, Dialister, Akkermansia muciniphila, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, pediatric vulvar disease
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Child, Female, Humans, Menarche, Phylogeny, Pilot Projects, Skin, Case-Control Studies, Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus, Biodiversity

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