Gut dysbiosis impacts the immune system and promotes prostate cancer

Abstract

The gut microbiota is a system of microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal (GI) system, consisting of trillions of microorganisms residing in epithelial surfaces of the body. Gut microbiota are exposed to various external and internal factors and form a unique gut-associated immunity maintained through a balancing act among diverse groups of microorganisms. The role of microbiota in dysbiosis of the gut in aiding prostate cancer development has created an urgency for extending research toward comprehension and preventative measures. The gut microbiota varies among persons based on diet, race, genetic background, and geographic location. Bacteriome, mainly, has been linked to GI complications, metabolism, weight gain, and high blood sugar. Studies have shown that manipulating the microbiome (bacteriome, virome, and mycobiome) through the dietary intake of phytochemicals positively influences physical and emotional health, preventing and delaying diseases caused by microbiota. In this review, we discuss the wealth of knowledge about the GI tract and factors associated with dysbiosis-mediated compromised gut immunity. This review also focuses on the relationship of dysbiosis to prostate cancer, the impact of microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on host health, and the phytochemicals improving health while inhibiting prostate cancer.

Keywords: Diet; Microbiota; Obesity; Prostate cancer; Short-chain fatty acids.

Fig. 1.

Factors Responsible for dysbiosis gut. Diet majorly affects the gut microbial physiology. A healthy gut can malfunction due to unhealthy foods, obesity, over-antibiotic consumption, aging, and exposure to microplastics

Fig. 2.

Immune response during eubiosis and dysbiosis gut. The gut-associated immune system mainly comprises dendritic cells, macrophages, T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and other subsets. The gut microbiome maintains the intact and healthy gut structurally, bearing the lumen, mucus layer, lamina propria, and healthy epithelial cells in the intestinal barrier and, thereby, the associated immune response. Eubiosis represents healthy gut immunity and the homeostasis of the immune system through the secretion of balanced pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, dysbiosis disrupts membrane integrity and promotes inflammation through the unbalanced secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines