Published online Dec 7, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i45.7792
Peer-review started: April 20, 2021
First decision: July 27, 2021
Revised: August 5, 2021
Accepted: November 20, 2021
Article in press: November 20, 2021
Published online: December 7, 2021
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is a standard validated therapy for patients suffering from malignant and nonmalignant hematological diseases. However, aHSCT procedures are limited by potentially life-threatening complications, and one of the most serious complications is acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). During the last decades, DNA sequencing technologies were used to investigate relationship between composition or function of the gut microbiome and disease states. Even if it remains unclear whether these microbiome alterations are causative or secondary to the presence of the disease, they may be useful for diagnosis, prevention and therapy in aHSCT recipients. Here, we summarized the most recent findings of the association between human gut microbiome changes and acute GVHD in patients receiving aHSCT.
Core Tip: This review reports the compositional and functional changes in gut microbiome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients associated with acute graft-versus-host disease that could serve a biomarker for diagnosis and prevention in patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.