{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T15:16:14Z","timestamp":1786115774993,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785974400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and debilitating disease that represents a leading cause of disability among middle-aged and elderly individuals. With the aging population, the incidence of OA and its associated socioeconomic burden is increasing; however, the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Based on the \u201cgut-bone axis\u201d theory, this study systematically characterized the gut microbiota of patients with OA to identify potential biological targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fecal samples from 32 OA patients and 26 healthy controls were analyzed for gut bacterial and fungal microbiota using 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing. ELISA measured serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Spearman\u2019s rank correlation coefficient was used to assess relationships between gut microbiota and inflammatory markers. Random forest and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were applied to identify characteristic microbial taxa associated with OA.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Serum levels of the inflammatory factors LPS, IL-1\u03b2, IL-6, and IL-10 were significantly elevated in OA patients. Both alpha diversity and overall composition of the gut bacterial and fungal microbiota were altered in OA patients. At the phylum level, the abundance of\n                      <jats:italic>Proteobacteria<\/jats:italic>\n                      increased significantly, whereas that of\n                      <jats:italic>Firmicutes<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>Bacteroidota<\/jats:italic>\n                      decreased markedly. At the genus level, the abundances of\n                      <jats:italic>Escherichia-Shigella<\/jats:italic>\n                      and the\n                      <jats:italic>Ruminococcus gnavus<\/jats:italic>\n                      group were significantly increased, while those of\n                      <jats:italic>Bacteroides<\/jats:italic>\n                      , the\n                      <jats:italic>Eubacterium halli<\/jats:italic>\n                      group,\n                      <jats:italic>Subdoligranulum<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Faecalibacterium<\/jats:italic>\n                      were significantly decreased. Regarding gut fungi, the phyla\n                      <jats:italic>Ascomycota<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>Basidiomycota<\/jats:italic>\n                      were significantly enriched in OA patients. At the genus level,\n                      <jats:italic>Saccharomyces<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>Aureobasidium<\/jats:italic>\n                      were significantly more abundant, whereas\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Exophiala<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Kurtzmaniella<\/jats:italic>\n                      were significantly reduced. Cross-kingdom network analysis revealed weakened interactions between gut bacteria and fungi in OA patients, disrupting the overall ecological balance of the gut microbiome. Random forest and ROC analyses indicated that the combination of the\n                      <jats:italic>Eubacterium coprostanoligenes<\/jats:italic>\n                      group,\n                      <jats:italic>Subdoligranulum<\/jats:italic>\n                      , the\n                      <jats:italic>Ruminococcus gauvreauii<\/jats:italic>\n                      group,\n                      <jats:italic>Malassezia<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Aspergillus<\/jats:italic>\n                      exhibited strong diagnostic potential for OA. These microbial changes were closely correlated with inflammatory markers.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>OA patients present with both elevated serum inflammatory factors and gut microbial dysbiosis, and significant associations exist between specific microbiota and inflammatory markers. While these findings suggest that certain gut microbes could serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for OA, further validation is necessary to confirm their clinical applicability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1915556","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T05:32:10Z","timestamp":1785994330000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Analysis of gut microbiota characteristics in osteoarthritis patients"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Peng","family":"Zou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xuejian","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yichong","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhichao","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jianxin","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fangfang","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nan","family":"Dong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Orthopedics, The Seventh People\u2019s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Institute of Biological Therapy, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science","place":["Zhengzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"573","DOI":"10.1038\/nrrheum.2012.134","article-title":"Pre-rheumatoid arthritis: predisposition and transition to clinical synovitis","volume":"8","author":"Arend","year":"2012","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Rheumatol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gene.2021.145619","article-title":"Gut-microbiota modulation: The impact of thegut-microbiotaon osteoarthritis","volume":"785","author":"Arora","year":"2021","journal-title":"Gene"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1002\/dmrr.2617","article-title":"Crosstalk between intestinal microbiota, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle as an early event in systemic low-grade inflammation and the development of obesity and diabetes","volume":"31","author":"Bleau","year":"2015","journal-title":"Diabetes Metab. Res. Rev."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4881","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-019-12873-4","article-title":"Intestinal microbiome composition and its relation to joint pain and inflammation","volume":"10","author":"Boer","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"299","DOI":"10.1186\/s12859-021-04199-0","article-title":"Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome is a risk factor for osteoarthritis in older female adults: a case control study","volume":"22","author":"Chen","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Bioinf."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4050","DOI":"10.1172\/jci129194","article-title":"The gut microbiome and metabolic syndrome","volume":"129","author":"Dabke","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Clin. Invest."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"40826","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-24500-y","article-title":"Association between gut microbiota composition and physical functioning in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a machine learning study","volume":"15","author":"de Sire","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1111","DOI":"10.1002\/art.41210","article-title":"Identification of cartilage microbial DNA signatures and associations with knee and hip osteoarthritis","volume":"72","author":"Dunn","year":"2020","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheumatol."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/femsec\/fiw191","article-title":"Elucidating the gut microbiome of ulcerative colitis: bifidobacteria as novel microbial biomarkers","volume":"92","author":"Duranti","year":"2016","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol. Ecol."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1226","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arthro.2024.05.010","article-title":"The gut microbiome and joint microbiome show alterations in patients with knee osteoarthritis versus controls: A systematic review","volume":"41","author":"Gilat","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arthroscopy"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/acel.13807","article-title":"The gut microbiota metabolite capsiate regulate SLC2A1 expression by targeting HIF-1\u03b1 to inhibit knee osteoarthritis-induced ferroptosis","volume":"22","author":"Guan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Aging Cell"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1186\/s12866-024-03275-8","article-title":"Gut bacterial and fungal dysbiosis in tuberculosis patients","volume":"24","author":"Han","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Microbiol."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1038\/nrrheum.2015.158","article-title":"Does lipopolysaccharide-mediated inflammation have a role in OA","volume":"12","author":"Huang","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Rheumatol."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1330","DOI":"10.55563\/clinexprheumatol\/ksopba","article-title":"Altered gut microbiota and host pathways in obesity-related knee osteoarthritis","volume":"44","author":"Huang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Clin. Exp. Rheumatol"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/rmdopen-2023-003529","article-title":"Gut-joint axis in knee synovitis: gut fungal dysbiosis and altered fungi-bacteria correlation network identified in a community-based study","volume":"9","author":"Jiang","year":"2023","journal-title":"RMD Open"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1038\/nrrheum.2010.196","article-title":"Role of proinflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis","volume":"7","author":"Kapoor","year":"2011","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Rheumatol."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1613","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2013.02.106","article-title":"Direct in vivo evidence of activated macrophages in human osteoarthritis","volume":"24","author":"Kraus","year":"2016","journal-title":"Osteoarthritis Cartilage"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2024.2410478","article-title":"Microbiome's role in musculoskeletal health through the gut-bone axis insights","volume":"16","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"582","DOI":"10.1186\/s12891-025-08858-8","article-title":"Burden of knee osteoarthritis in China and globally: 1990-2045","volume":"26","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Musculoskelet. Disord."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1257","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2019.05.009","article-title":"Gut microbiota and obesity-associated osteoarthritis","volume":"27","author":"Liu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Osteoarthritis Cartilage"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1054","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmet.2017.04.001","article-title":"Gut microbiome-based metagenomic signature for non-invasive detection of advanced fibrosis in human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease","volume":"25","author":"Loomba","year":"2017","journal-title":"Cell Metab."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"R111","DOI":"10.1186\/ar4291","article-title":"Bacterial lipopolysaccharides form procollagen-endotoxin complexes that trigger cartilage inflammation and degeneration: implications for the development of rheumatoid arthritis","volume":"15","author":"Lorenz","year":"2013","journal-title":"Arthritis Res. Ther."},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1753","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm8101753","article-title":"Oral-gut microbiota and arthritis: Is there an evidence-based axis","volume":"8","author":"Lorenzo","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Clin. Med."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"612","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2018.02.901","article-title":"NLRP3 as a potentially novel biomarker for the management of osteoarthritis","volume":"26","author":"McAllister","year":"2018","journal-title":"Osteoarthritis Cartilage"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16142243","article-title":"The effect of probiotics on the management of pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies","volume":"16","author":"Moyseos","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nutrients"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajpath.2023.10.005","article-title":"IL-6 reduces spheroid sizes of osteophytic cells derived from osteoarthritis knee joint via induction of apoptosis","volume":"194","author":"Negishi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am. J. Pathol."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms23031494","article-title":"The association between gut microbiota and osteoarthritis: Does the disease begin in the gut","volume":"23","author":"Ramires","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"565","DOI":"10.1097\/bor.0b013e32830aba34","article-title":"Innate immune system activation in osteoarthritis:is osteoarthritis a chronic wound","volume":"20","author":"Scanzello","year":"2008","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Rheumatol."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"872","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2007.01.018","article-title":"Differential expression of leptin and leptin's receptor isoform (Ob-Rb) mRNA between advanced and minimally affected osteoarthritic cartilage; effect on cartilage metabolism","volume":"15","author":"Simopoulou","year":"2007","journal-title":"Osteoarthritis Cartilage"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21228618","article-title":"Identification and characterization of the intra-articular microbiome in the osteoarthritic knee","volume":"21","author":"Tsai","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Mol. Sci."},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1098","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2017.02.108","article-title":"Osteoarthritis induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus is reduced in germ-free mice","volume":"26","author":"Ulici","year":"2018","journal-title":"Osteoarthritis Cartilage"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2026.2679516","article-title":"Multiomics insights into the effects of prebiotics on physical function and metabolism in adults with obesity and knee osteoarthritis","volume":"18","author":"Wang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2025.1543510","article-title":"Specific gut microbiota and serum metabolite changes in patients with osteoarthritis","volume":"13","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. Cell Dev. Biol."},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/msystems.00862-25","article-title":"Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 enhances chondroitin efficacy for knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women via the gut-joint axis","volume":"10","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"mSystems"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.micpath.2021.104976","article-title":"The gut microbiome as non-invasive biomarkers for identifying overweight people at risk for osteoarthritis","volume":"157","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Microb. Pathog."},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1656","DOI":"10.1002\/art.41729","article-title":"Association between gut microbiota and symptomatic hand osteoarthritis: Data from the Xiangya Osteoarthritis Study","volume":"73","author":"Wei","year":"2021","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheumatol."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/561459","article-title":"The role of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis","volume":"2014","author":"Wojdasiewicz","year":"2014","journal-title":"Mediators Inflamm."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1142\/s0192415x2550003x","article-title":"Gut microbiota and osteoarthritis: From pathogenesis to novel therapeutic opportunities","volume":"53","author":"Xi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Am. J. Chin. Med."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1111\/jop.12819","article-title":"Elevated leptin levels in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis promote proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 expression in synovial fibroblasts","volume":"48","author":"Xiong","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Oral. Pathol. Med."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2025.2545417","article-title":"Interactions between the gut microbiota and immune cell dynamics: novel insights into the gut-bone axis","volume":"17","author":"You","year":"2025","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"906","DOI":"10.1002\/ccr3.3677","article-title":"Fecal microbiota transplantation for rheumatoid arthritis: A case report","volume":"9","author":"Zeng","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin. Case Rep."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jot.2026.101064","article-title":"Gut microbiota and bone aging: Focusing on the gut-X axis modes","volume":"57","author":"Zhang","year":"2026","journal-title":"J. Orthop. Translat"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1915556\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]],"date-time":"2026-08-06T05:32:11Z","timestamp":1785994331000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1915556\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]]},"references-count":42,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1915556"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fcimb.2026.1915556","relation":{},"ISSN":["2235-2988"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2235-2988","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,6]]},"article-number":"1915556"}}