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Chinese Journal of Brain Diseases and Rehabilitation(Electronic Edition) ›› 2026, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (03): 135-149. doi: 10.3877/cma.j.issn.2095-123X.2026.03.002

• Clinical Research • Previous Articles    

Causal inference between gut microbiota and diabetic neuropathy: a two-step Mendelian randomization study mediated by circulating metabolites and proteins

Jiaxin Liu1, Ze Zhang2, Li Zhang3,()   

  1. 1Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100000, China
    2Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
    3Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China
  • Received:2025-12-09 Online:2026-06-15 Published:2026-08-03
  • Contact: Li Zhang
  • Supported by:
    Beijing Natural Science Foundation-Changping Innovation Joint Fund Project(L244029)

Abstract:

Objective

To evaluate the causal relationships between gut microbiota (GM) and diabetic neuropathy (DN) using Mendelian randomization (MR), and to identify circulating metabolites and proteins that may mediate these associations.

Methods

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for GM and DN were derived from the MiBioGen consortium and the FinnGen R12 dataset, respectively. GWAS summary statistics for 529 circulating metabolites and 2994 proteins were obtained from two published articles, and their corresponding GWAS results have been deposited in the GWAS Catalog database. The Steiger directionality test was employed to exclude reverse causation between GM and DN. Two-sample MR analysis was conducted to assess the causal effect of GM on DN. Two-step MR, MR mediation analysis, and multivariable MR were further utilized to screen for circulating metabolites and proteins that may mediate the aforementioned causal pathways.

Results

A total of six GM taxa were causally associated with DN. Specifically, Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group (P=0.031) and Eubacterium xylanophilum group (P<0.001) were inversely associated with DN, whereas Firmicutes (P=0.026), Adlercreutzia (P=0.022), Alistipes (P=0.046), and Christensenellaceae R-7 group (P=0.009) were positively associated with DN. MR mediation analysis revealed that Eubacterium xylanophilum group alleviated DN by upregulating myeloid cell leukemia-1 protein (MCL-1) (P=0.003) and downregulating HIV-1 Tat interactive protein 2 (HTATIP2) (P<0.001) and matrix metalloproteinase-16 (MMP-16) (P=0.002). Conversely, Firmicutes promoted DN progression by reducing circulating levels of sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase acid-like 3A (SMPDL3A) (P=0.008), while Alistipes facilitated DN progression by elevating circulating levels of X-11423—O-sulfo-L-tyrosine (P=0.014).

Conclusions

Eubacterium xylanophilum group exerts a protective effect against DN by upregulating MCL-1 and downregulating HTATIP2 and MMP-16. In contrast, Firmicutes promotes DN progression by decreasing SMPDL3A levels, and Alistipes enhances DN progression by increasing X-11423—O-sulfo-L-tyrosine levels. These findings provide novel candidate targets for microbiota- and metabolite-based interventions in DN.

Key words: Gut microbiota, Diabetic neuropathy, Circulating metabolite, Mendelian randomization

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