Gut microbial beta-glucuronidase: a vital regulator in female estrogen metabolism

A growing amount of evidence has supported that gut microbiota plays a vital role in the reproductive endocrine system throughout a woman's whole life, and gut microbial β-glucuronidase (gmGUS) is a key factor in regulating host estrogen metabolism. Moreover, estrogen levels also influence the composition as well as the diversity of gut microbiota. In normal condition, the gmGUS-estrogen crosstalk maintains body homeostasis of physiological estrogen level. Once this homeostasis is broken, the estrogen metabolism will be disturbed, resulting in estrogen-related diseases, such as gynecological cancers, menopausal syndrome, etc. together with gut microbial dysbiosis, which may accelerate these pathological…