REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Oral Microbes and Host
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1612223
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of oral and gut microbiome on health and diseasesView all 19 articles
Role of oral and gut microbiomes in enterosalivary nitrate metabolism and their effects on systemic disease
Provisionally accepted
- Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Nitrate, which maintains hemostasis in systemic circulation, is obtained from nitrate-rich vegetables, concentrated, reabsorbed by the salivary glands, and reduced to nitrite and nitric oxide (NO•). The bioavailability of nitrate and nitrite depends on unique nitrate reductases present in specific bacterial communities in the mouth and gut of mammals. The dominant bacteria in the oral cavity, stomach, and gut differ among internal environments. Nitrate can modulate microbiota metabolism and has important pathophysiological functions in diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, metabolic diseases, and brain diseases via nitrate-reducing bacteria. Thus, in this review, we summarized the beneficial role of enterosalivary nitrate metabolism, focusing on the role of oral and gut bacterial communities in the enzymatic reduction of nitrate to nitrite. We have also discussed different nitrate-reduction pathways; influencing factors of nitrate-reducing bacteria; and the relationship among systemic health, nitrate intake, and bacteria. This review of enterosalivary nitrate and related microbiomes could provide a new perspective for the application of nitrate.
Keywords: Nitric Oxide, nitrate, Nitrate Reductase, oral microbiome, gut microbiome
Received: 15 Apr 2025; Accepted: 17 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Du, Chang, Yang and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Liang Hu, Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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