Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in China for thousands of years, and it has played an important role in improving the health of Chinese people as well as the prevention and treatment of main diseases. Recently, the inclusion of TCM into the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision) represents an opportunity for TCM to become an integral part of global health care in the UN member states and beyond.
The mode of action of TCM is multi-pathway, multi-target, multi-effect integrated regulation, which has great potential in the treatment of multisystem diseases. Oral TCM prescriptions are mostly absorbed through the intestinal tract, it is the gut microbiota that reacts first after oral administration. Previous animal and clinical studies have found that the complex chemical components of TCM can change the structure and function of the gut microbiota. TCM can be used as a prebiotic to increase the abundance of probiotics, and it can also be used to inhibit the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria, which can improve related diseases by maintaining the homeostasis of the gut microbiota.
Due to the complexity and diversity of gut microbiota and its metabolites, it is necessary to further study the relationship between gut microbiota and diseases (especially immune and metabolism-related diseases), along with the regulation mechanism of TCM on gut microbiota and its metabolites.
This Research Topic focuses on exploring the regulatory effects and mechanisms of TCM on gut microbiota and its metabolites, as well as the effect of gut microbiota on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or toxicology of TCM intervention. It will be conducive to better understanding the relationship of diseases, gut microbiota, and TCM. Besides, modern research on TCM theories (such as TCM syndrome differentiation) based on the classification of human gut microbiota structure is also of concern to us.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
• The potential role of gut microbiota in the TCM treatment of different diseases, especially multisystem immune and metabolism-related diseases
• Molecular biological mechanisms of TCM regulating gut microbiota in disease treatment (in vitro and in vivo studies), mechanisms of how herbs impact microbiome are of particular interest
• The structural characteristics of gut microbiota or the tongue coating microbiota in different TCM syndromes (subtypes)
• Effects of gut microbiota on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics or toxicology of TCM (TCM decoction, monomer or extract of TCM herbs)
• Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials or primary clinical data for evaluating the efficacy of TCM therapeutics (TCM decoction, monomer or extract of TCM herbs) for diseases by modulating gut microbiota
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in China for thousands of years, and it has played an important role in improving the health of Chinese people as well as the prevention and treatment of main diseases. Recently, the inclusion of TCM into the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision) represents an opportunity for TCM to become an integral part of global health care in the UN member states and beyond.
The mode of action of TCM is multi-pathway, multi-target, multi-effect integrated regulation, which has great potential in the treatment of multisystem diseases. Oral TCM prescriptions are mostly absorbed through the intestinal tract, it is the gut microbiota that reacts first after oral administration. Previous animal and clinical studies have found that the complex chemical components of TCM can change the structure and function of the gut microbiota. TCM can be used as a prebiotic to increase the abundance of probiotics, and it can also be used to inhibit the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria, which can improve related diseases by maintaining the homeostasis of the gut microbiota.
Due to the complexity and diversity of gut microbiota and its metabolites, it is necessary to further study the relationship between gut microbiota and diseases (especially immune and metabolism-related diseases), along with the regulation mechanism of TCM on gut microbiota and its metabolites.
This Research Topic focuses on exploring the regulatory effects and mechanisms of TCM on gut microbiota and its metabolites, as well as the effect of gut microbiota on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or toxicology of TCM intervention. It will be conducive to better understanding the relationship of diseases, gut microbiota, and TCM. Besides, modern research on TCM theories (such as TCM syndrome differentiation) based on the classification of human gut microbiota structure is also of concern to us.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
• The potential role of gut microbiota in the TCM treatment of different diseases, especially multisystem immune and metabolism-related diseases
• Molecular biological mechanisms of TCM regulating gut microbiota in disease treatment (in vitro and in vivo studies), mechanisms of how herbs impact microbiome are of particular interest
• The structural characteristics of gut microbiota or the tongue coating microbiota in different TCM syndromes (subtypes)
• Effects of gut microbiota on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics or toxicology of TCM (TCM decoction, monomer or extract of TCM herbs)
• Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials or primary clinical data for evaluating the efficacy of TCM therapeutics (TCM decoction, monomer or extract of TCM herbs) for diseases by modulating gut microbiota
