Microorganisms profoundly influence human physiology and disease. Human gut microbes are capable of metabolically transforming chemicals from environmental, dietary, and herbal sources to produce metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, and amino acid derivatives. These metabolites can be distributed as signalling molecules in organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, brain, liver, and heart, and play important roles in gut health, energy metabolism, immune regulation, and gut-brain communication. In addition, the chemophysiological properties and functions of microbial metabolites are influenced by diet, microbial composition, host genes, environmental factors and microbial community interactions.

Recently, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Jinhua Research Institute and National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery System have published a detailed summary and outlook on the chemical physiological functions and potential drug discovery value of gut microbiota metabolites in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, a review journal under Cell Press, under the title Emerging chemophysiological diversity of gut microbiota metabolites. Researcher Xiaohui Zhao is the corresponding author and Xiaorong Lin, a PhD student, is the first author. The article focuses on the unique physiological functions of tryptophan and bile acid metabolites and highlights the role of chemical and biological tools in analysing and regulating microbial metabolism as well as host signalling pathways, with the aim of helping to sort out the link between chemical diversity and physiological complexity in host-microbe molecular interactions. The article also describes how small molecule drugs and engineered probiotics can intervene in gut microbial metabolic pathways for the potential treatment of metabolic diseases, neurological disorders and cancer.

Translator: Zihao Liu

Editor: Yichen Zhu