Unlocking the secrets of the human gut microbiota: Comprehensive review on its role in different diseases

Table 5 Clinical implications and therapeutic strategies targeting the gut microbiota

Sl No.	Therapeutic strategy	Description	Clinical application	Ref.
1	Antibiotics	Targeted use to treat dysbiosis or specific bacterial infections affecting gut health	Used in severe cases of gut dysbiosis	[118]
2	Biofilm disruptors	Compounds that disrupt bacterial biofilms in the gut, enhancing susceptibility to treatment	Investigated for their potential in chronic infection treatments	[119]
3	Butyrate supplementation	Providing the short-chain fatty acid butyrate to support gut barrier function and reduce inflammation	Studied for efficacy in treating ulcerative colitis	[120]
4	Colonization resistance	Strategies to enhance the gut’s ability to resist colonization by harmful bacteria	Investigated in preventing infections in hospitalized patients	[121]
5	Dietary modifications	Including high-fiber diets, Mediterranean diet, and low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols diet to support gut microbiota	Management of symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome	[122]
6	Enteral nutrition	Providing nutrients directly into the gastrointestinal tract to support gut health	Used in patients unable to tolerate oral intake	[123]
7	Fecal microbiota transplantation	Transfer of fecal microbiota from a healthy donor to restore microbial diversity in the recipient	Effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection	[124]
8	Gut microbiota modulators	Pharmaceuticals that target specific pathways or microbes within the gut	Studied for their potential in precision medicine approaches	[125]
9	Microbial consortia therapy	Using multiple species of bacteria to restore healthy microbial balance	Investigated in treating recurrent bacterial infections	[126]
10	Microbial ecosystem therapeutics	Engineered microbial communities designed to restore or enhance gut health	Investigated for potential in treating inflammatory diseases	[127]
11	Microbiota-targeted dietary interventions	Specific diets aimed at altering the composition and function of gut microbes	Used in managing metabolic syndrome and obesity	[128]
12	Phage therapy	Using bacteriophages to selectively target harmful bacteria in the gut microbiota	Potential alternative to antibiotics in treating infections	[129]
13	Postbiotics	Metabolites produced by probiotic bacteria have beneficial effects on host health	Investigated for potential in treating metabolic disorders	[130]
14	Prebiotics	Non-digestible fibers that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut	Improve gut health and reduce inflammation in IBD patients	[131]
15	Probiotics	Live microorganisms that confer health benefits by colonizing the gut and influencing microbial balance	Used to restore gut microbiota after antibiotic therapy	[132]
16	Protein therapeutics	Engineered proteins designed to modulate microbial activity in the gut	Investigated for their role in targeted microbiota treatments	[133]
17	Proton pump inhibitors	Medications that alter gastric acidity and impact gut microbiota composition	Used to manage symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease	[134]
18	Stool substitutes	Synthetic or cultured microbial communities for fecal microbiota transplantation when donor stool is unavailable or impractical	Investigated as a potential treatment for chronic infections	[135]
19	Symbiotics	Combination of probiotics and prebiotics to enhance gut health	Used in enhancing gut health and immune function	[136]
			Studied for efficacy in treating diarrhea in children	[137]

IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease.