Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 21, 2024; 30(39): 4329-4332
Published online Oct 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i39.4329
Gut microbiota in gastrointestinal diseases: Insights and therapeutic strategies
Lu Jiang, Jian-Gao Fan
Lu Jiang, Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
Jian-Gao Fan, Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China
Author contributions: Jiang L reviewed the literatures and drafted the manuscript; Fan JG conceived and edited the manuscript. Both authors have read and approved the final version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Gao Fan, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai 200092, China. fanjiangao@xinhuamed.com.cn
Received: August 16, 2024
Revised: September 19, 2024
Accepted: September 25, 2024
Published online: October 21, 2024
Processing time: 56 Days and 19.9 Hours
Abstract

Considering the bidirectional crosstalk along the gut-liver axis, gut-derived microorganisms and metabolites can be released into the liver, potentially leading to liver injury. In this editorial, we comment on several studies published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology. We focus specifically on the roles of gut microbiota in selected gastrointestinal (GI) diseases that are prevalent, such as inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and hepatitis B virus-related portal hypertension. Over the past few decades, findings from both preclinical and clinical studies have indicated an association between compositional and metabolic changes in the gut microbiota and the pathogenesis of the aforementioned GI disorders. However, studies elucidating the mechanisms underlying the host-microbiota interactions remain limited. The purpose of this editorial is to summarize current findings and provide insights regarding the context-specific roles of gut microbiota. Ultimately, the discovery of microbiome-based biomarkers may facilitate disease diagnosis and the development of personalized medicine.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Inflammatory bowel disease; Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease; Hepatitis B virus; Portal hypertension

Core Tip: Alterations in gut microbiota are closely associated with the pathogenesis of various gastrointestinal diseases. A deeper understanding of host-microbiota interactions could aid in the development of therapeutic interventions for humans.