Contribution of Gut Microbiome to Human Health and the Metabolism or Toxicity of Drugs and Natural Products

Trillions of microorganisms with a complex and diverse community are in the human gastrointestinal tract. Gut microbial genomes have much more genes than human genome, thus having a variety of enzymes for many metabolic activities; therefore, gut microbiota is recognized as an “organ” that has essential functions to human health. There are interactions between host and gut microbiome, and there are correlations between gut microbiome in the healthy state and in certain disease states, such as cancer, liver diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Gut microbiota can produce metabolites from nutrients of dietary sources and from drug metabolisms; these metabolites, for example, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), have substantial effects on human health. Drug-microbiome interactions play a crucial role in therapeutic efficiency. Some drugs are able to change compositions of gut microbiota, which can lead to either enhance or reduce therapeutic efficiency. This chapter provides an overview of roles of gut microbiota in human health and diseases and recent research studies on the metabolism or toxicity of drugs and natural products. Since gut bacteria considerably contribute to drug metabolism, research on the influence of gut microbiome on drug candidates (or natural products) should be part of the drug development processes.