The diversity and abundance of specific taxa in the gut microbiota plays a key role in the modulation of human health. Typically, the human gut microbiome is dominated by five main bacterial phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. The thousands of metabolites produced by gut microbiota impact the host’s health significantly.
Alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolites can lead to dysfunction of the gut’s epithelial barrier, production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha, Interleukin beta, and increase of the gut’s permeability.
Changes in the abundance of specific bacteria have been used as a biomarker for the screening of gastrointestinal diseases including adenomatous or serrated polyps, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, clostridium difficile colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
The increased interest in gut microbiota composition as the driver of gut phenotype is confirmed by numerous studies as well as by the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation. However, currently, there have been insufficient studies with respect to the gut microbiota and metabolites in patients with these pathology. Therefore, it is still not very clear how and which microbes and metabolites trigger or support the formation of specific colon diseases and further sustain the development of them.
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