Intestinal microbiota (colonic)

The intestinal microbiota (colonic) refers to the dense, metabolically active community of microorganisms (primarily bacteria, but also archaea, fungi, viruses) inhabiting the colon and influenced by the local environment, including pH, transit time, nutrient availability, and host immune factors. This ecosystem is critical for fermentation of undigested carbohydrates, production of short-chain fatty acids, immune system maturation, protection against pathogens, and maintenance of colonic health. The colonic environment, characterized by a stable, anaerobic, and nutrient-rich setting, shapes microbial composition, diversity, and their metabolism, which in turn have profound effects on host physiology and disease risk. The entity is not a classical molecular target but rather a complex ecological system, and is thus unsuitable as a "target" in the conventional pharmacological sense.

Other names

Gut microbiotacolonic microbiotagut floragut microbiomeintestinal flora

Alteration of microbial community structure and metabolic activity (by antibiotics, prebiotics, probiotics, FMT); Modulation of immune responses via microbial metabolites