REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Gut Microbiota in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Critical Review of Mechanisms and Therapeutic Advances
School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a complex, recrudescent chronic gastrointestinal disease. The prevalence of IBD has increased globally year by year, and the exact pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Evidence indicates that there is a strong correlation between dysbiosis of gut microbiota and the occurrence and progression of IBD. This review systematically describes recent advances in understanding the role of gut microbiota in IBD, with a particular focus on how dysbiosis contributes to pathogenesis. In addition, this review synthesizes the latest research progress and challenges of therapies of IBD targeting the gut microbiota, highlighting both their therapeutic potential and current limitations. Importantly, literature is based on targeted selection of high-quality sources, including clinical trials, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and regulatory documents, to provide a balanced and up-to-date perspective. Emphasis is laid on the potential of microbiota-targeted therapies in IBD management.
Summary
Keywords
Crohn's disease, fecal microbiota transplantation, Gutmicrobiota, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis
Received
03 November 2025
Accepted
06 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Li. 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: Yixuan Li
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.