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 Aug 11;14(16):1237.
doi: 10.3390/cells14161237.

Microbial Metabolites and Cardiovascular Dysfunction: A New Era of Diagnostics and Therapy

Jitendra Kumar  1
Affiliations
Review

Microbial Metabolites and Cardiovascular Dysfunction: A New Era of Diagnostics and Therapy

Jitendra Kumar. Cells. .

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a significant threat to human life and mortality worldwide, encompassing a variety of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. These diseases are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, which play a critical role in their development. Recent research has highlighted the importance of gut microbes-the diverse community of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract-that function as a "super organ" within the human body. These microbes have a remarkable impact on metabolic pathways and are increasingly recognized for their role in serious conditions like CVDs. They contribute to metabolic regulation, provide essential nutrients and vitamins, and help protect against diseases. Various internal and external factors influence the dynamic relationship between the human host and gut microbiota, thereby regulating overall metabolism. This review explores the complex connection between gut microbiota and microbial metabolites-such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)-and their potential influence on the development and progression of CVDs. We also examine the interaction between dietary interventions and gut microbes in the context of conditions including atherosclerosis, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and myocardial infarction. Gaining a deeper understanding of the gut microbiota's role in maintaining physiological balance creates exciting possibilities for identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treating CVDs. This knowledge offers hope for early disease prediction, improved clinical management, and innovative treatments.

Keywords: atherosclerosis; cardiovascular diseases; endothelial dysfunction; gut microbiota; microbial metabolites; therapeutic targets.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and related human diseases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gut microbiota and metabolite’s role in cardiovascular diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ginsberg H.N., MacCallum P.R. The obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus pandemic: Part I. Increased cardiovascular disease risk and the importance of atherogenic dyslipidemia in persons with the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. J. CardioMetab. Syndr. 2009;4:113–119. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-4572.2008.00044.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ursell L.K., Metcalf J.L., Parfrey L.W., Knight R. Defining the human microbiome. Nutr. Rev. 2012;70((Suppl. 1)):S38–S44. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00493.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee J.K.-F., Hern Tan L.T., Ramadas A., Ab Mutalib N.-S., Lee L.-H. Exploring the Role of Gut Bacteria in Health and Disease in Preterm Neonates. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2020;17:6963. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17196963. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rosen C.E., Palm N.W. Functional Classification of the Gut Microbiota: The Key to Cracking the Microbiota Composition Code: Functional classifications of the gut microbiota reveal previously hidden contributions of indigenous gut bacteria to human health and disease. Bioessays. 2017;39:1700032. doi: 10.1002/bies.201700032. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Long S.L., Gahan C.G.M., Joyce S.A. Interactions between gut bacteria and bile in health and disease. Mol. Asp. Med. 2017;56:54–65. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2017.06.002. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources