# Gut-associated metabolites and diabetes pathology: a systematic review

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how gut-related metabolites are linked to different types of diabetes, highlighting gaps in current research and sample type inconsistencies.

## Contribution

The study systematically identifies gut metabolites associated with diabetes and highlights the lack of research on gestational and type 1 diabetes.

## Key findings

- 272 metabolites were found to be associated with diabetes, mostly linked to type 2 diabetes.
- Most studies focused on type 2 diabetes, with limited research on gestational and type 1 diabetes.
- Variability in study results was observed based on the type of biospecimen analyzed (blood, stool, urine).

## Abstract

As the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus reaches epidemic proportions, research into new therapeutic targets that address the underlying pathomechanisms of the disease is essential. Recent studies have elucidated the fundamental role of intestinal metabolic pathways in human health and disease processes and yet, the underlying cause of metabolic dysregulation in diabetes is largely unknown. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to identify the intestinal metabolomic profiles associated with gestational diabetes mellitus, type 1 diabetes mellitus, pre-diabetes mellitus, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A systematic review of databases and grey literature repositories identified primary literature published between 2005 and 2022, that investigated patterns of human- and microbial-derived metabolite concentration in individuals with diabetes.

Data extracted from thirty-four eligible studies revealed 272 metabolites that were associated with diabetes diseases; the majority correlated with incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus only. Inter-study discrepancies were reported based on the biospecimen type used in metabolomic analyses, namely blood, stool, or urine.

The results of this review emphasise the paucity of research investigating gestational and type 1 diabetes mellitus intestinal metabolic perturbations. Furthermore, the potential for inter-study bias in downstream metabolomic analyses based on sample type warrants further investigation.