REVIEW article
Front. Mol. Med.
Sec. Molecular Microbes, Disease and Mechanisms of Immune Response
From Mechanisms to Therapeutics: Molecular Insights into Gastrointestinal Injury Under High-Altitude Hypoxia
Provisionally accepted
- First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China, China
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The extreme environmental conditions of a plateau have an important impact on the economic development of the area, including tourism and employment. High-altitude environments, characterized by hypoxia, low atmospheric pressure, and intense ultraviolet radiation, are recognized as key contributors to gastrointestinal injury. These environmental stresses promote oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and gut microbiota dysbiosis, resulting in intestinal barrier disruption, increased permeability, and immune imbalance, which collectively predispose individuals to gastrointestinal disorders and multi-organ dysfunction. Accumulating evidence suggests that natural bioactive molecules, probiotics, and synbiotics exert protective effects against high-altitude-induced intestinal injury via diverse mechanisms. Accordingly, this review focuses on the key mechanisms of high-altitude hypoxia-induced intestinal injury and discusses the therapeutic potential of intestinal function-enhancing molecules. This work aims to offer a theoretical framework and identify potential intervention targets for the management of gastrointestinal disorders associated with high-altitude exposure.
Keywords: high altitude, hypoxia, Intestinal injury, Gut Microbiota, Probiotics
Received: 18 Sep 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yu, Zhang and Yang. 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: Yun-Sheng Yang, sunny301ddc@plagh.com
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