Gut microbiota is the collective microbial community in the intestine and functions as a major regulator of host physiology, including immunity, metabolism, and behavior. In this context, it is being used as a diagnostic and therapeutic target across inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and major depressive disorder. A key mechanistic theme is dysbiosis: differential abundance analysis identified microbial biomarkers that distinguish IBD patients from healthy individuals, supporting microbiota-based diagnostics. It also modulates immune checkpoint inhibitor response in colorectal cancer, where it is described as a pivotal determinant of efficacy, and can be reshaped by microbiota-targeted agents such as bioactive polysaccharides. Recent literature further links the gut microbiome to colorectal cancer susceptibility, MASLD-associated colorectal adenoma, and host energy metabolism underlying depressive behaviors.
Inflammatory bowel disease
- A 2026 Gut and Liver review (PMID:41220286) highlighted gut microbiota as a source of diagnostic biomarkers for IBD, with differential abundance analysis distinguishing patients from healthy controls.
- The microbiota is described as a key factor in IBD pathophysiology and a candidate for translational diagnostics. (PMID:41220286)
- Metagenomics was used for high-resolution profiling of microbial communities relevant to IBD biomarker discovery. (PMID:41220286)
Colorectal cancer
- A 2026 Gut microbes review (PMID:41981741) described gut microbiota as a pivotal determinant of immune checkpoint inhibitor response in colorectal cancer and a means to enhance efficacy.
- The microbiota was also discussed as a determinant of colorectal cancer susceptibility in an integrative causal-gene analysis context. (PMID:41930642)
- In MASLD patients with and without colorectal adenoma, gut microbial dysregulation and differential taxa were reported, linking microbiota changes to adenoma-associated risk. (PMID:41896654)
- The literature frames microbiota modulation as a therapeutic strategy for colorectal cancer immunotherapy. (PMID:41981741)
Metabolic disease
- A 2026 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules review (PMID:41850461) linked gut microbiota to type 2 diabetes progression and emphasized remodeling by bioactive polysaccharides.
- Bioactive polysaccharides were described as microbiota-targeted agents that reshape microbial ecological composition. (PMID:41850461)
- In MASLD, gut microbiota and metabolites were characterized alongside colorectal adenoma status, suggesting metabolic-disease-associated microbial signatures. (PMID:41896654)
Neuropsychiatric disease
- A 2026 Gut microbes paper (PMID:42023591) reported that gut microbiota reshapes host energy metabolism to modulate depressive behaviors.
- The microbiota was investigated as a regulator contributing to major depressive disorder. (PMID:42023591)
- This supports a gut–brain axis mechanism in which microbial communities influence host metabolic state and behavior. (PMID:42023591)