Abstract
The human gastrointestinal tract harbors a diverse array of microorganisms that play fundamental roles in health and disease. Imbalance in the gut microbiota, namely dysbiosis, can lead to various diseases, including cancer and gastrointestinal tract disorders. Approaches to improve gut dysbiosis, such as dietary intervention, intake of probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation are emerging strategies to treat these diseases. Various medicinal botanicals have reported anti-cancer and/or anti-inflammatory properties. Preclinical studies have illustrated that some of these natural products are also capable to modulate the gut microbiota, suggesting their use as possible alternative approach to improve gut dysbiosis and thereby assist diseases treatment. In this review article, we have summarized the current knowledge on the effects of natural compounds, medicinal plants, and mushrooms on the gut microbiota in various cancers and colitis in preclinical animal models. Challenges towards the clinical use of these medicinal botanicals as modulators of the gut microbiota in cancer and colitis treatment are also discussed.
Highlights
The human gut is colonized by trillions of microorganisms comprising bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses, which together form the gut microbiota (Valdes et al, 2018)
We found that the effects of various medicinal botanicals on the gut microbiota in cancer and colitis have only been tested in preclinical models, but not in clinical studies
The examples above illustrate that medicinal botanicals can modulate the gut microbiota in cancers and colitis in mice/rats, enriching beneficial bacteria and/or depleting the harmful ones
Summary
The human gut is colonized by trillions of microorganisms comprising bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses, which together form the gut microbiota (Valdes et al, 2018). Through many processes, these microorganisms are essential for human health, including maturation and education of the host immune system and protection against pathogens (Lynch and Pedersen, 2016). Healthy individuals have well-balanced, homeostatic gut microbiota. Disruptions in this homeostasis, namely dysbiosis, could lead to various pathogenic conditions, ranging from metabolic and cardiovascular disorders to cancer (Helmink et al, 2019).
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