The association of intestinal microbiota diversity and outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Growing evidence suggests that highly intestinal microbiota diversity modulates host inflammation and promotes immune tolerance. Several studies have reported that patients undergoing allo-HSCT have experienced microbiota disruption that is characterized by expansion of potentially pathogenic bacteria and loss of microbiota diversity. Thus, the primary aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the association of intestinal microbiota diversity and outcomes after allo-HSCT, and the secondary aim was to analyze the associations of some specific microbiota abundances with the outcomes of allo-HSCT. Electronic databases of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to August 2023, and 17 studies were found eligible. The pooled estimate suggested that higher intestinal microbiota diversity was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) benefit (HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.55–0.78), as well as decreased risk of transplant-related mortality (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.41–0.76), and lower incidence of grade II-IV aGVHD (HR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.27–0.63). Furthermore, higher abundance of Clostridiales was associated with a superior OS (HR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.18–0.87), while higher abundance of Enterococcus (HR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.55–2.65), γ-proteobacteria (HR = 2.82, 95% CI: 1.53–5.20), and Candida (HR = 3.80, 95% CI: 1.32–10.94) was an adverse prognostic factor for OS. Overall, this meta-analysis highlights the protective role of higher intestinal microbiota diversity on outcomes after allo-HSCT during both pre-transplant and post-transplant periods. Some specific microbiota can be useful in the identification of patients at risk of mortality, offering new tools for individualized pre-emptive or therapeutic strategies to improve allo-HSCT outcomes.