The Gut Microbiome and Colonic Motility Disorders: A Practical Framework for the Gastroenterologist

Abstract

Purpose of review: Colonic motility disorders may be influenced by the gut microbiota, which plays a role in modulating sensory and motor function. However, existing data are inconsistent, possibly due to complex disease pathophysiology, fluctuation in symptoms, and difficulty characterizing high-resolution taxonomic composition and function of the gut microbiome.

Recent findings: Increasingly, human studies have reported associations between gut microbiome features and colonic motility disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. Several microbial metabolites have been identified as regulators of colonic motility in animal models. Modulation of the gut microbiota via dietary intervention, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplant is a promising avenue for treatment for these diseases. An integration of longitudinal multi-omics data will facilitate further understanding of the causal effects of dysbiosis on disease. Further understanding of the microbiome-driven mechanisms underlying colonic motility disorders may be leveraged to develop personalized, microbiota-based approaches for disease prevention and treatment.

Keywords: IBS; chronic idiopathic constipation; diarrhea; functional constipation; metagenomics.

Fig. 1. Overview of the role of gut microbiota-derived metabolites in gastrointestinal motility and sensation.

Reprinted from “Metabolites and microbial composition of stool of women with fecal incontinence: Study design and methods”, by L. A. Arya, 2018, Neurourol Urodyn, 37(2), 634 – 41. Copyright 2018 by John Wiley and Sons. Reprinted with permission