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
-
The Sam Domain of EphA2 Receptor and its Relevance to Cancer: A Novel Challenge for Drug Discovery?
Current Medicinal Chemistry Antibiotics Delay Wound Healing: an Effect Reversed by Co-Administering TLR 7 and 9 Ligands
Current Angiogenesis (Discontinued) GSK-3 Inhibitors: Recent Developments and Therapeutic Potential
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Implications of Nanotechnology in Healthcare
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology-Asia Beyond Lipoprotein Receptors: Learning from Receptor Knockouts Mouse Models about New Targets for Reduction of the Atherosclerotic Plaque.
Current Molecular Medicine Beneficiary and Adverse Effects of Phytoestrogens: A Potential Constituent of Plant-based Diet
Current Pharmaceutical Design New Bioactive Metabolites from the Marine-derived Fungi Aspergillus
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry New Insights in the Gene Electrotransfer Process: Evidence for the Involvement of the Plasmid DNA Topology
Current Gene Therapy Lymphatic Targeting of Nanosystems for Anticancer Drug Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Linking New Paradigms in Protein Chemistry to Reversible Membrane-Protein Interactions
Current Protein & Peptide Science Disulfiram, and Disulfiram Derivatives as Novel Potential Anticancer Drugs Targeting the Ubiquitin Proteasome System in Both Preclinical and Clinical Studies
Current Cancer Drug Targets Carbon Nanotubes in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Melanoma
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Early Docetaxel and Androgen Deprivation in the Treatment of Metastatic, Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer
Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials The Mad2-Binding Protein p31<sup>comet</sup> as a Potential Target for Human Cancer Therapy
Current Cancer Drug Targets NPY Signalling Pathway in Bone Homeostasis: Y1 Receptor as a Potential Drug Target
Current Drug Targets Degradation of Androgen Receptor through Small Molecules for Prostate Cancer
Current Cancer Drug Targets MK-FSVM-SVDD: A Multiple Kernel-based Fuzzy SVM Model for Predicting DNA-binding Proteins via Support Vector Data Description
Current Bioinformatics Selective Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Dutasteride in Androgenetic Alopecia: An Update
Current Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutic Strategies for Treatment of Inflammation-related Depression
Current Neuropharmacology