WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions.
The estrobolome is the aggregate of enteric bacterial genes whose products are capable of metabolizing estrogens. First proposed by Plottel and Blaser (2011), the concept describes how the gut microbiome acts as an endocrine organ, modulating circulating estrogen levels…
Actinobacteria (reclassified as Actinomycetota in 2021) is a major Gram-positive, high-GC-content bacterial phylum with remarkable ecological breadth. In the gut, it typically comprises 1-10% of the community -- a distant third behind firmicutes and bacteroidetes -- but…
Aromatase (CYP19A1) is the cytochrome P450 enzyme that catalyzes the final and rate-limiting step of estrogen biosynthesis — the conversion of androgens (testosterone, androstenedione) to estrogens (estradiol, estrone). It is expressed in the ovaries, placenta, adipose …
The bacterial contamination hypothesis proposes that bacterial endotoxin (LPS) contamination of menstrual blood and endometrial tissue is a key driver of endometriosis pathogenesis. First formalized by Khan et al. (2018), this hypothesis shifts endometriosis from a pure…
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women of reproductive age, affecting an estimated 29% of women globally. Rather than an infection by a single pathogen, BV represents a polymicrobial dysbiotic state -- a collapse of the protective Lactoba…
Beta-glucuronidase (β-glucuronidase, EC 3.2.1.31) is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucuronidated compounds, cleaving the β-1,4-glycosidic bond between a sugar and a glucuronic acid group. In the microbiome, beta-glucuronidase is the key enzyme of the estro…
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with approximately 2.3 million new cases annually. While genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors are well-established risk determinants, the metallomic dimension reveals a consistent pattern of trace element d…
A Gram-positive obligate anaerobe and key estrobolome member that links metabolic dysbiosis to hormone-driven diseases, particularly endometriosis. E. lenta is remarkable for its ability to inactivate cardiac glycosides (like digoxin) and to produce beta-glucuronidase, …
Exogenous chemicals that interfere with hormone synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, or elimination, mimicking or blocking endogenous hormones at physiologically relevant concentrations. In the metallomics-microbiome framework, endocrine disruptors occupy a critica…
Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent inflammatory condition affecting approximately 10% of reproductive-age women, characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus colonetti 2023 gut vaginal microbiota endometriosis meta analysis. The c…
Enterohepatic circulation (EHC) is the recycling loop by which compounds—primarily bile acids, conjugated estrogens, conjugated glucuronides, and metabolites of drugs and xenobiotics—are excreted in bile, reach the intestine, undergo deconjugation or dehydroxylation by …
Escherichia is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae family. The primary species E. coli is simultaneously the most studied bacterium in biology and one of the most consistently enriched organisms in disease-associated micr…
Estrogen recirculation is the recycling loop by which conjugated estrogens excreted in bile are deconjugated by gut bacterial beta glucuronidase, reabsorbed across the intestinal epithelium, and returned to systemic circulation uzuner 2023 bidirectional relationship end…
Affects approximately 48 million women worldwide (WHO global infertility prevalence estimates). From a microbiome-metallomics perspective, female infertility sits at the intersection of the estrobolome (microbial estrogen metabolism), heavy metal reproductive toxicity (…
Alphabetical definitions of specialist terms used throughout this wiki. Where a full concept page exists, the term links to it. --- AhR (aryl hydrocarbon receptor) -- A ligand-activated transcription factor that senses microbial metabolites (especially indoles from tryp…
The gut-gonadal axis describes the bidirectional communication between the intestinal microbiome and the reproductive endocrine system. Gut bacteria modulate sex hormone levels through enzymatic activity (particularly beta glucuronidase-mediated estrogen deconjugation),…
The gut-vagina axis describes the bidirectional relationship between the intestinal and vaginal microbiomes. Emerging evidence shows that gut microbial composition influences vaginal colonization patterns through immune modulation, metabolite exchange, and direct microb…
Hungatella hathewayi is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium within the Firmicutes phylum (family Clostridiaceae) that has rapidly emerged as a multi-disease cancer-associated pathobiont. A recently reclassified genus (from Clostridium hathewayi), it is now rec…
A Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic bacterium that is the dominant species in the healthy human vaginal microbiome and a defining member of Community State Type I (CST-I). L. crispatus dominance is associated with reproductive health, pathogen resistance, and reduc…
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), affecting an estimated 10-30% of COVID-19 survivors (WHO and CDC post-acute surveillance estimates) with symptoms persisting 12 weeks. Characterized by fatigue, cognitive dysfunction ("brain fog"), exercise intolerance…
A metal ion that activates estrogen receptors and mimics the biological effects of estradiol. Metalloestrogens represent a distinct class of endocrine-disrupting compounds where the active agent is an inorganic metal rather than an organic xenoestrogen like BPA or phtha…
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy, with approximately 314,000 new cases and 207,000 deaths annually worldwide. Its poor prognosis stems largely from late-stage diagnosis (70% at stage III/IV) and the development of chemoresistance. From a metall…
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10-20% of women after delivery, with profound consequences for maternal health, infant bonding, and child neurodevelopment chao 2025 microbiota gut brain perinatal depression. The standard framing centers on hormonal withdrawal (estro…
Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), previously called premature ovarian failure, is the loss of ovarian function before age 40, characterized by elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH 25 IU/L on two occasions), irregular or absent menstruation, and estrogen defic…
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) affects 3-8% of menstruating individuals Epperson et al. 2012, causing severe mood disturbances, irritability, anxiety, and physical symptoms during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Distinguished from premenstrual syndrome …
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects an estimated 20-40% of women of reproductive age, characterized by cyclical physical and psychological symptoms in the luteal phase (post-ovulation, pre-menstruation). While PMS has traditionally been attributed solely to hormonal flu…
Research summary — not medical advice. This page synthesizes published research on a mechanism-level intervention. It is not a clinical recommendation. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to diet, supplementation, or treatment.
Probiotic supplementation targeting depleted Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the postpartum period aims to restore gut-brain axis signaling disrupted during the dramatic hormonal shifts following delivery.
The serotonin-estrogen axis describes the bidirectional relationship between estrogen signaling and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission — a neuroendocrine interface that is profoundly modulated by the gut microbiome. Estrogen regulates serotonin synthesis (via tryptophan…
Research summary -- not medical advice. This page synthesizes published research on why a commonly recommended intervention may be counterproductive in this specific clinical context. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to treatment.
Streptococcus agalactiae, also known as Group B Streptococcus (GBS), is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic coccus that exists in two clinical contexts: (1) as a major neonatal pathogen causing life-threatening meningitis and sepsis in newborns, and (2) as an enric…
Zinc deficiency is a consistent finding in breast cancer, and Zn plays key roles in immunity (T cell differentiation), p53 activation, and SOD cofactor function. Yet supplementation data are limited, and in the Sister Study, zinc showed a dose-related positive associati…