Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Dec;17(1):2477255.
doi: 10.1080/19490976.2025.2477255. Epub 2025 Mar 10.

Microbiota transplant therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: advances and mechanistic insights

Daphne Moutsoglou  1   2 , Pavithra Ramakrishnan  2 , Byron P Vaughn  3
Affiliations
Review

Microbiota transplant therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: advances and mechanistic insights

Daphne Moutsoglou et al. Gut Microbes. 2025 Dec.

Abstract

Microbiota transplant therapy is an emerging therapy for inflammatory bowel disease, but factors influencing its efficacy and mechanism remain poorly understood. In this narrative review, we outline key elements affecting therapeutic outcomes, including donor factors (such as age and patient relationship), recipient factors, control selection, and elements impacting engraftment and its correlation with clinical response. We also examine potential mechanisms through inflammatory bowel disease trials, focusing on the interplay between the microbiota, host, and immune system. Finally, we briefly explore potential future directions for microbiota transplant therapy and promising emerging treatments.

Keywords: Fecal microbiota transplantation; crohn’s disease; inflammatory bowel disease; microbiome; microbiota transplant therapy; ulcerative colitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Potential challenges and mechanistic factors impacting clinical efficacy of microbiota transplant therapy. These include recipient and donor factors (which may interact dynamically), procedural factors, and the possible effects of engraftment immunologically and metagenomically.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zhang F, Luo W, Shi Y, Fan Z, Ji G.. Should we standardize the 1,700-year-old fecal microbiota transplantation? Am J Gastroenterol. 2012;107(11):1755; author reply p -6. 10.1038/ajg.2012.251. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Leeuwenhoek A. Observations, communicated to the Publisher by Mr. Antony van Leeuwenhoek, in a Dutch letter of the 9th of octob. 1676. Here english’d: concerning little animals by him observed in rain-well-sea, and snow water; as also in water wherein pepper had lain infused. Phil Trans R Soc. 1677;12:821–21.
    1. Eiseman B, Silen W, Bascom GS, Kauvar AJ. Fecal enema as an adjunct in the treatment of pseudomembranous enterocolitis. Surgery. 1958;44(5):854–859. - PubMed
    1. Imdad A, Pandit NG, Zaman M, Minkoff NZ, Tanner-Smith EE, Gomez-Duarte OG, Acra S, Nicholson MR. Fecal transplantation for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 4; 2023:CD012774. 4). doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012774.pub3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sokol H, Landman C, Seksik P, Berard L, Montil M, Nion-Larmurier I, Bourrier A, Le Gall G, Lalande V, De Rougemont A, et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation to maintain remission in Crohn’s disease: a pilot randomized controlled study. Microbiome. 2020;8(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s40168-020-0792-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources