Abstract
The human intestine is colonized by a complex microbial ecosystem, which could be considered as a separate organ within the human host, having a coding capacity which exceeds the liver by a factor 100. On the one hand, this extensive microbiome is closely involved in the first-pass metabolism and bioavailability of food and drug compounds. Understanding to which extent each individual ’ s gut microbiota affects the bioavailability and response to orally administered drugs is therefore a first important challenge towards novel drug development strategies. On the other hand, as our microbiota is directly or indirectly involved in the onset of a number of disease states, a new generation of therapeutics may be developed that affect the structure and functioning of the intestinal microbiota and interfere with their specific cross-talk with the human host. Ultimately, the intestinal microbiota may even be used as a biomarker for impending diseases inside or outside the gastrointestinal tract and for the evaluation of responses to specific therapeutic interventions. This review will therefore highlight the importance of the indigenous microbial community and its enormous metabolic potential, microbe-microbe interactions, mechanisms of host-bacterium cross-talk and will discuss the onset of obesity, a specific disease state in which the role of intestinal bacteria becomes more and more apparent. Understanding the importance of the intestinal ecosystem in these phenomena may open the door for new strategies which target the management of the intestinal microbiome into the desired direction and therefore to a completely new type of nutrition research and pharmaceutical design.
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Title: The Intestinal Environment in Health and Disease – Recent Insights on the Potential of Intestinal Bacteria to Influence Human Health
Volume: 15 Issue: 18
Author(s): Sam Possemiers, Charlotte Grootaert, Joan Vermeiren, Gabriele Gross, Massimo Marzorati, Willy Verstraete and Tom Van de Wiele
Affiliation:
Abstract: The human intestine is colonized by a complex microbial ecosystem, which could be considered as a separate organ within the human host, having a coding capacity which exceeds the liver by a factor 100. On the one hand, this extensive microbiome is closely involved in the first-pass metabolism and bioavailability of food and drug compounds. Understanding to which extent each individual ’ s gut microbiota affects the bioavailability and response to orally administered drugs is therefore a first important challenge towards novel drug development strategies. On the other hand, as our microbiota is directly or indirectly involved in the onset of a number of disease states, a new generation of therapeutics may be developed that affect the structure and functioning of the intestinal microbiota and interfere with their specific cross-talk with the human host. Ultimately, the intestinal microbiota may even be used as a biomarker for impending diseases inside or outside the gastrointestinal tract and for the evaluation of responses to specific therapeutic interventions. This review will therefore highlight the importance of the indigenous microbial community and its enormous metabolic potential, microbe-microbe interactions, mechanisms of host-bacterium cross-talk and will discuss the onset of obesity, a specific disease state in which the role of intestinal bacteria becomes more and more apparent. Understanding the importance of the intestinal ecosystem in these phenomena may open the door for new strategies which target the management of the intestinal microbiome into the desired direction and therefore to a completely new type of nutrition research and pharmaceutical design.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Possemiers Sam, Grootaert Charlotte, Vermeiren Joan, Gross Gabriele, Marzorati Massimo, Verstraete Willy and de Wiele Van Tom, The Intestinal Environment in Health and Disease – Recent Insights on the Potential of Intestinal Bacteria to Influence Human Health, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2009; 15 (18) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161209788489159
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138161209788489159 |
Print ISSN 1381-6128 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4286 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
"Tuberculosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Drug Discovery"
The Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and streptomycin have enabled an appropriate diagnosis and an effective treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Since then, many newer diagnosis methods and drugs have been saving millions of lives. Despite advances in the past, TB is still a leading cause of infectious disease mortality ...read more
Current Pharmaceutical challenges in the treatment and diagnosis of neurological dysfunctions
Neurological dysfunctions (MND, ALS, MS, PD, AD, HD, ALS, Autism, OCD etc..) present significant challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, often necessitating innovative approaches and therapeutic interventions. This thematic issue aims to explore the current pharmaceutical landscape surrounding neurological disorders, shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers, clinicians, and ...read more
Emerging and re-emerging diseases
Faced with a possible endemic situation of COVID-19, the world has experienced two important phenomena, the emergence of new infectious diseases and/or the resurgence of previously eradicated infectious diseases. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of such diseases has also undergone changes. This context, in turn, may have a strong relationship with ...read more
Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment: Standard of Care and Recent Advances
In this thematic issue, we aim to provide a standard of care of the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. The editor will invite authors from different countries who will write review articles of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The Diagnosis, Staging, Surgical Treatment, Non-Surgical Treatment all ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Isoindole Derivatives: Propitious Anticancer Structural Motifs
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Isolation and Boactivities of Furfuran Type Lignan Compounds from Edible Plants
Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture Nutlins and Ionizing Radiation in Cancer Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Current Immunotherapies for Renal Cell Carcinoma
Current Molecular Pharmacology Targeting the Expression of Anti-Apoptotic Proteins by Antisense Oligonucleotides
Current Drug Targets Prophylaxis of Cancer
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews The Role of Neuroendocrine Cells in Prostate Cancer: A Comprehensive Review of Current Literature and Subsequent Rationale to Broaden and Integrate Current Treatment Modalities
Current Medicinal Chemistry Laccases in Pharmaceutical Chemistry: A Comprehensive Appraisal
Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry Chemical Proteomics to Identify Molecular Targets of Small Compounds
Current Molecular Medicine Electroporation Gene Therapy: New Developments In Vivo and In Vitro
Current Gene Therapy Novel Inhibitors of Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase in Patent Literature of the Last Decade
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Role of Tyrosine Phosphatase Inhibitors in Cancer Treatment with Emphasis on SH2 Domain-Containing Tyrosine Phosphatases (SHPs)
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Thyroid: Iodine Beyond the Thyronines
Current Chemical Biology Synthesis and Anticancer Evaluation of some Newer 2, 5-Disubstituted-1,3, 4-Oxadiazole Analogues
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Production, Novel Assay Development and Clinical Applications of Monoclonal Antibodies
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Seeing Genes at Work in the Living Brain with Non-Invasive Molecular Imaging
Current Gene Therapy Advances in the Management of Brain Tumors in Infants
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Exosomal microRNAs as Potentially Useful Tools in Cancer Biomarker Discovery
Recent Patents on Biomarkers Heat Shock Protein 90 Inhibitors as Broad Spectrum Anti-Infectives
Current Pharmaceutical Design Inhibitory Effect of Artemisinin on Testosterone Propionate Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Current Drug Discovery Technologies