Anwer Eman K E, Ajagbe Muhammad, Sherif Moustafa, Musaibah Abobaker S, Mahmoud Shuaib, ElBanbi Ali, Abdelnaser Anwar
Biotechnology Graduate Program, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information, Cairo 4411601, Egypt.
Biomedicines. 2025 Jan 3;13(1):100. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines13010100.
The gut microbiota, a dynamic ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms, produces secondary metabolites that profoundly influence host health. Recent research has highlighted the significant role of these metabolites, particularly short-chain fatty acids, indoles, and bile acids, in modulating immune responses, impacting epigenetic mechanisms, and contributing to disease processes. In gastrointestinal (GI) cancers such as colorectal, liver, and gastric cancer, microbial metabolites can drive tumorigenesis by promoting inflammation, DNA damage, and immune evasion. Conversely, these same metabolites hold therapeutic promise, potentially enhancing responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy and even directly suppressing tumor growth. In addition, gut microbial metabolites play crucial roles in infectious disease susceptibility and resilience, mediating immune pathways that impact pathogen resistance. By consolidating recent insights into the gut microbiota's role in shaping disease and health, this review underscores the therapeutic potential of targeting microbiome-derived metabolites for treating GI cancers and infectious diseases and calls for further research into microbiome-based interventions.
肠道微生物群是一个由数万亿微生物组成的动态生态系统，它产生的次生代谢产物会对宿主健康产生深远影响。最近的研究强调了这些代谢产物，特别是短链脂肪酸、吲哚和胆汁酸，在调节免疫反应、影响表观遗传机制以及参与疾病进程方面的重要作用。在结直肠癌、肝癌和胃癌等胃肠道（GI）癌症中，微生物代谢产物可通过促进炎症、DNA损伤和免疫逃避来驱动肿瘤发生。相反，这些相同的代谢产物具有治疗潜力，可能增强对化疗和免疫疗法的反应，甚至直接抑制肿瘤生长。此外，肠道微生物代谢产物在传染病易感性和恢复力方面发挥着关键作用，介导影响病原体抗性的免疫途径。通过整合最近关于肠道微生物群在塑造疾病和健康方面作用的见解，本综述强调了针对微生物群衍生代谢产物治疗胃肠道癌症和传染病的治疗潜力，并呼吁进一步研究基于微生物群的干预措施。
