About this Research Topic
Human beings are “superorganisms”. There are over 1000 species bacteria and approximately 10 times the number of the host genes inhabiting in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract. Gut microbiota has been recognized as an indispensable metabolic organ in regard to its role in either disease development or drug metabolism. Emerging evidence has highlighted that the variation of gut microbiota is an important factor for determining both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. As a result, it is of vital significance for investigating the involvement of gut microbiota in pharmacological research. In addition, the co-metabolism between gut microbiota and host contributes to the variation of drug efficacy or toxicity, which is the core for achieving personalized medicine.
The efficacy or toxicity of most drugs are variable among populations. There are many factors contributing to the variations of either pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics, however, gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in determining drug efficacy or toxicity. Currently, the compositional and functional evidence of gut microbiome in disease development is accumulating due to the fast advances in metagenomics and high-throughput omics technology, especially metabolomics. Therefore, gut microbiome is a promising target for investigating the mechanism underlying drug activity, as well as the variation in therapeutic outcomes.
The current Research Topic ”Gut Microbiome and Pharmacology” welcomes manuscripts that are focused on investigating the gut microbial involvement in drug efficacy or toxicity, as well as inter-individual variations in drug activity. Authors are encouraged to submit original articles, review article, and short communications associated with this special issue.
In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Clinical or experimental studies on the role of gut microbiota in modulating drug activity
- Microbial roles in affecting drug activity relating to inter-individual variations
- Microbial contribution to pharmacological activity of active components from herbal medicine
- Microbiota-dependent drug effects
- Specific bacteria or bacterial consortium regulating drug activity
The efficacy or toxicity of most drugs are variable among populations. There are many factors contributing to the variations of either pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics, however, gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in determining drug efficacy or toxicity. Currently, the compositional and functional evidence of gut microbiome in disease development is accumulating due to the fast advances in metagenomics and high-throughput omics technology, especially metabolomics. Therefore, gut microbiome is a promising target for investigating the mechanism underlying drug activity, as well as the variation in therapeutic outcomes.
The current Research Topic ”Gut Microbiome and Pharmacology” welcomes manuscripts that are focused on investigating the gut microbial involvement in drug efficacy or toxicity, as well as inter-individual variations in drug activity. Authors are encouraged to submit original articles, review article, and short communications associated with this special issue.
In particular, the topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Clinical or experimental studies on the role of gut microbiota in modulating drug activity
- Microbial roles in affecting drug activity relating to inter-individual variations
- Microbial contribution to pharmacological activity of active components from herbal medicine
- Microbiota-dependent drug effects
- Specific bacteria or bacterial consortium regulating drug activity
Keywords: Gut microbiota, drug efficacy, drug toxicity, drug metabolism, personalized medicine
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
