Intestinal microecology

Intestinal microecology refers to the vast and intricate ecosystem residing within the human gastrointestinal tract, consisting of trillions of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea), the intestinal mucosal barrier, and the gut-associated lymphoid tissue [1, 10, 12]. This system maintains a critical symbiotic relationship with the host, performing essential functions such as the fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates into beneficial short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the synthesis of vitamins, and the regulation of both local and systemic immune responses [5, 11, 13]. Disruptions to this ecological balance, a state known as dysbiosis, are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), metabolic syndrome, colorectal cancer, and even neurological disorders via the gut-brain axis [3, 4, 7, 10]. Therapeutic interventions aim to restore or modulate this microecology through the use of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve host health [1, 3, 4]. As a pharmaceutical focus, it represents a shift from targeting single host proteins toward the management of complex microbial communities and their metabolic outputs [5, 6, 8].

Other names

Gut microecologyIntestinal microbiomeGut microbiotaIntestinal ecosystemIntestinal floraGastrointestinal microecology

Modulation of gut microbiota composition, restoration of microbial diversity, enhancement of intestinal epithelial barrier integrity, inhibition of pathogenic bacterial colonization, and regulation of beneficial metabolite production [1, 3, 5, 11].