The causal links between gut microbiota and both acute and chronic renal failure: A two-sample mendelian randomization study

This study aimed to investigate the potential causal relationships between gut microbiota composition and both acute renal failure (ARF) and chronic renal failure (CRF), using a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach. We characterized the gut microbiota composition at various taxonomic levels (phylum, class, order, family, and genus) and obtained genome-wide association study data for both ARF and CRF from the FinnGen and UK Biobank databases. Subsequently, we employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach to explore the causal relationship between the gut microbiota and renal failure. We identified 10 causal relationships between the genetic liability in the gut microbiome and ARF. We found 4 associations between genetic liability in the gut microbiome and CRF. The results indicated that Haemophilus (inverse variance weighted, IVW OR = 0.816, 95% CI = 0.719-0.926, P = .002, q = 0.054) and Ruminococcaceae UCG005 (IVW OR = 0.804, 95% CI = 0.694-0.931, P = .004, q = 0.078) showed negative associations with ARF. Moreover, Ruminococcaceae UCG005 (IVW OR = 1.001, 95% CI = 1.00-1.002, P = .008, q = 0.091) positively correlated with CRF risk. Sensitivity analyses did not provide statistical evidence of bias due to pleiotropy or genetic confounding factors. Our research contributes significantly to the growing body of knowledge linking the gut microbiota to renal health, offering new perspectives for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of renal diseases.