Gut microbiota and related diseases: clinical features

Abstract

Intestinal microbiota is essential for gut homeostasis. Specifically, the microorganisms inhabiting the gut lumen interact with the intestinal immune system, supply key nutrients for the major components of the gut wall, and modulate energy metabolism. Host-microbiome interactions can be either beneficial or deleterious, driving gastrointestinal lymphoid tissue activities and shaping gut wall structures. This overview briefly focuses on the potential role played by abnormalities in gut microbiota and relative responses of the gastrointestinal tract in the determination of important pathological conditions such as the irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer.