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Review
. 2022 Sep 30;136(18):1371-1387.
doi: 10.1042/CS20220175.

Smoking-induced microbial dysbiosis in health and disease

Hagit Shapiro #  1 , Kim Goldenberg #  1 , Karina Ratiner #  1 , Eran Elinav  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Smoking-induced microbial dysbiosis in health and disease

Hagit Shapiro et al. Clin Sci (Lond). .

Abstract

Smoking is associated with an increased risk of cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, but the precise mechanisms by which such risk is mediated remain poorly understood. Additionally, smoking can impact the oral, nasal, oropharyngeal, lung and gut microbiome composition, function, and secreted molecule repertoire. Microbiome changes induced by smoking can bear direct consequences on smoking-related illnesses. Moreover, smoking-associated dysbiosis may modulate weight gain development following smoking cessation. Here, we review the implications of cigarette smoking on microbiome community structure and function. In addition, we highlight the potential impacts of microbial dysbiosis on smoking-related diseases. We discuss challenges in studying host-microbiome interactions in the context of smoking, such as the correlations with smoking-related disease severity versus causation and mechanism. In all, understanding the microbiome's role in the pathophysiology of smoking-related diseases may promote the development of rational therapies for smoking- and smoking cessation-related disorders, as well as assist in smoking abstinence.

Keywords: COPD; Microbial dysbiosis; Smoking; cancer; cardiovascular physiology; metabolites.

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Conflict of interest statement

E.E. is a scientific founder of DayTwo and BiomX, and a paid consultant to Hello Inside and Aposense in topics unrelated to this review. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Microbial dysbiosis induced by smoking
Microbial alterations reported upon exposure to cigarette smoke, in the oral cavity, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. Figure created with BioRender (biorender.com).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Alterations in microbial communities and metabolites in smoking-associated diseases
Examples of smoking-associated microbial communities and metabolites that are modified in systemic smoking-induced diseases; Abbreviations: ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; IL-17, interleukin 17; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; TNF, tumor necrosis factor. Figure created with BioRender (biorender.com).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Weight gain following discontinued smoke exposure is modulated by the gut microbiome
As a result of gut microbial alternations caused by smoking, the host and the gut microbiome jointly produce DMG from dietary choline and reduce ACG, which contribute to weight gain following smoking cessation. ACG, N-acetylglycine; BHMT, betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase; DMG, dimethylglycine. Figure created with BioRender (biorender.com).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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