About this Research Topic
Over the last several years, gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota has emerged as a key factor that modulates the host’s health acting as an active player in physiological functions including metabolic, immune or even neural homeostasis. In fact, there is an increasing awareness of the relevance of GI microbiota in maintaining body homeostasis and evidence supporting that dysbiosis (imbalance of the microbial community) may underlie several pathologies. Within this context, metabolic and endocrine disturbances has got in the limelight, as these disorders are highly dependent on GI microbiota composition.
Considering all these premises, GI microbiota-modulating agents, such as antibiotics or pre/probiotics, deserve attention beyond their traditional usage for the management of infectious diseases. Recent studies suggest that antibiotic treatment modulates the host’s metabolism. However, some reports point at the host’s genetic background as a key component that defines the metabolic response to antibiotics. Other variables such as basal GI microbiota, hygienic and dietary habits, or ethnic group may also affect this response. In addition, it is presumable that the various antibiotics usually employed in clinical practice would alter the equilibrium of the microbial community in different ways. Other variables such as route of administration, length of the treatment, number of doses as well as patient characteristics should be also considered. All these aspects make the precise consequences of antibiotics on the host’s health still elusive. Therefore, more in-depth studies taking into account these variables are needed to gain insight into how different antibiotic treatments can modulate specific GI bacterial groups and host’s metabolism.
Although experimental studies could help to understand these complex effects, carrying out consistent large epidemiological studies to confirm the findings could be a challenging task. Within this context, the study of GI diseases produced by pathogens (e.g. Helicobacter Pylori infection) and their eradication therapies based on antibiotic intake offer a great chance to explore the antibiotic impact on the GI microbiota and host's metabolism. Furthermore, the effect of pre/probiotics used to ameliorate antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on the host´s metabolism remains unexplored. This is of great interest due to the potential use of pre/probiotics, symbiotics, and other GI microbiota-modulating agents as therapeutic tools to manage metabolic disorders. Of note, a number of other GI diseases with different origins such as autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (e.g. celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or GI cancers have been related to gut dysbiosis, body weight, and metabolic status. The composition of GI microbiota has been proposed to modulate the efficacy of the various therapies for GI diseases such as immunotherapies, and the use of pre/probiotics might also improve treatment outcomes, but their impact on the host’s metabolism has been scarcely explored.
To gain more insight into the way that GI microbiota-modulating agents may alter host's metabolism, this Research Topic welcome manuscripts about the following themes (but not limited to):
• Short and long-term effects of GI microbiota-modulating agents (antibiotics, pro/prebiotics, symbiotics…) on GI microbiota composition and/or host’s metabolism. This would include long-lasting effects after treatment cessation.
• Animal and human models to study the crosstalk between GI microbiota and host’s metabolism, including but not limited to therapies for the management of GI infections and other GI diseases.
• Molecular mechanism underlying the modulation of host’s metabolism by GI microbiota-modulating agents.
Original research, reviews, and mini-reviews articles are welcomed to this Research Topic.
Considering all these premises, GI microbiota-modulating agents, such as antibiotics or pre/probiotics, deserve attention beyond their traditional usage for the management of infectious diseases. Recent studies suggest that antibiotic treatment modulates the host’s metabolism. However, some reports point at the host’s genetic background as a key component that defines the metabolic response to antibiotics. Other variables such as basal GI microbiota, hygienic and dietary habits, or ethnic group may also affect this response. In addition, it is presumable that the various antibiotics usually employed in clinical practice would alter the equilibrium of the microbial community in different ways. Other variables such as route of administration, length of the treatment, number of doses as well as patient characteristics should be also considered. All these aspects make the precise consequences of antibiotics on the host’s health still elusive. Therefore, more in-depth studies taking into account these variables are needed to gain insight into how different antibiotic treatments can modulate specific GI bacterial groups and host’s metabolism.
Although experimental studies could help to understand these complex effects, carrying out consistent large epidemiological studies to confirm the findings could be a challenging task. Within this context, the study of GI diseases produced by pathogens (e.g. Helicobacter Pylori infection) and their eradication therapies based on antibiotic intake offer a great chance to explore the antibiotic impact on the GI microbiota and host's metabolism. Furthermore, the effect of pre/probiotics used to ameliorate antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on the host´s metabolism remains unexplored. This is of great interest due to the potential use of pre/probiotics, symbiotics, and other GI microbiota-modulating agents as therapeutic tools to manage metabolic disorders. Of note, a number of other GI diseases with different origins such as autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (e.g. celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or GI cancers have been related to gut dysbiosis, body weight, and metabolic status. The composition of GI microbiota has been proposed to modulate the efficacy of the various therapies for GI diseases such as immunotherapies, and the use of pre/probiotics might also improve treatment outcomes, but their impact on the host’s metabolism has been scarcely explored.
To gain more insight into the way that GI microbiota-modulating agents may alter host's metabolism, this Research Topic welcome manuscripts about the following themes (but not limited to):
• Short and long-term effects of GI microbiota-modulating agents (antibiotics, pro/prebiotics, symbiotics…) on GI microbiota composition and/or host’s metabolism. This would include long-lasting effects after treatment cessation.
• Animal and human models to study the crosstalk between GI microbiota and host’s metabolism, including but not limited to therapies for the management of GI infections and other GI diseases.
• Molecular mechanism underlying the modulation of host’s metabolism by GI microbiota-modulating agents.
Original research, reviews, and mini-reviews articles are welcomed to this Research Topic.
Keywords: gastrointestinal microbiota, antibiotics, probiotics, cross-talk, dysbiosis
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