Causal roles of gut microbiota in OS etiology suggested by genetic study

Objectives Osteosarcoma (OS) represents a prevalent primary malignant bone tumor with limited treatment options at present. The relationship between gut microbiota and OS remains ambiguous, with uncertainty surrounding whether this association is causal or influenced by bias. To investigate the potential link between gut microbiota and the development of OS, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods We employed a two-sample MR study design to elucidate the causal association between gut microbiota and OS. Our analysis encompassed a total of 196 bacterial features across five taxonomic levels: Phylum, Class, Order, Family , and Genus . The MR analysis incorporated the inverse-variance-weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, weighted mode, and simple median methods. The primary analysis was conducted using the IVW method, and the MR results were validated through heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, and pleiotropy analysis. Results Our findings revealed significant associations between nine distinct bacterial traits and OS using the IVW method. Specifically, we identified that genus. Odoribacter.id.952 (OR: 15.19; 95% CI: 2.08, 111.18; p = 0.007) and genus.Clostridiumsensustricto1.id.1873 (OR: 10.78; 95% CI: 1.78, 65.32; p = 0.009) were associated with a significantly increased risk of OS. Conversely, genus.LachnospiraceaeUCG001.id.11321 (OR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.70; p = 0.011) was found to significantly decrease the risk of OS. Conclusions Research suggests specific gut microbiota affect OS risk, highlighting their role in disease development and paving the way for new OS treatment strategies.