Potential Modulation of Gut Microbiota by Phytochemicals in Managing Noncommunicable Diseases
Main Article Content
Noncommunicable diseases, such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes, remain a leading cause of death worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Recent research trends revealed possible involvement of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of these noncommunicable diseases. This article provides a review of recent research trends on the human gut microbiota’s involvement in hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and the potential of its modulation by natural products. Several mechanisms are proposed to explain how the gut microbiota contributes to the development of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, one of which is by changes in short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production. Phytochemicals targeting modulation of the gut microbiota and SCFAs production may show potential in prevention and therapy of hypertension and diabetes. This may be achieved by affecting the composition of the gut microbiota itself and by modulating the microbiota’s metabolic pathways, such as by stimulating synthesis of SCFAs. However, future studies are still needed considering the complexity of factors affecting gut microbiota, as well as the need to develop reproducible methods in studying the gut microbiota and its metabolites in order to further elucidate the role of gut microbiota in health and disease, in order to achieve optimal benefits and better clinical outcomes.
Keywords:
Gut microbiota
Hypertension
Type 2 diabetes
Phytochemicals
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30. Dingeo G, Brito A, Samouda H, Iddir M, La Frano MR, Bohn T. Phytochemicals as modifiers of gut microbial communities. Food Funct. 2020;11(10):8444-8471. doi:10.1039/d0fo01483d
31. Luo B, Wen Y, Ye F, et al. Bioactive phytochemicals and their potential roles in modulating gut microbiota. J Agric Food Res. 2023;12(November 2022):100583. doi:10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100583
2. BKPK Kementerian Kesehatan RI. Prevalensi, Dampak, serta Upaya Pengendalian Hipertensi dan Diabetes di Indonesia. In: Laporan Tematik Survei Kesehatan Indonesia Tahun 2023. Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia; 2024:67-88.
3. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Burden of Disease 2021: Findings from the GBD 2021 Study. IHME; 2024.
4. Qadri H, Shah AH, Almilaibary A, Mir MA. Microbiota, natural products, and human health: exploring interactions for therapeutic insights. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024;14:1371312. doi:10.3389/fcimb.2024.1371312
5. Yang Z, Wang Q, Liu Y, et al. Gut microbiota and hypertension: association, mechanisms and treatment. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2023;45(1):2195135. doi:10.1080/10641963.2023.2195135
6. Overby HB, Ferguson JF. Gut Microbiota-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids Facilitate Microbiota:Host Cross talk and Modulate Obesity and Hypertension. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2021;23(2). doi:10.1007/s11906-020-01125-2
7. Santhiravel S, Bekhit AEDA, Mendis E, et al. The Impact of Plant Phytochemicals on the Gut Microbiota of Humans for a Balanced Life. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(15):8124. doi:10.3390/ijms23158124
8. Sharma BR, Jaiswal S, Ravindra PV. Modulation of gut microbiota by bioactive compounds for prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. Biomed Pharmacother. 2022;152:113148. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113148
9. Guo Y, Li X, Wang Z, Yu B. Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Human Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021;8(May). doi:10.3389/fcvm.2021.650227
10. Li J, Zhao F, Wang Y, et al. Gut microbiota dysbiosis contributes to the development of hypertension. Microbiome. 2017;5(1):1-19. doi:10.1186/s40168-016-0222-x
11. Naik SS, Ramphall S, Rijal S, et al. Association of Gut Microbial Dysbiosis and Hypertension: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2022;14(10):1-11. doi:10.7759/cureus.29927
12. Li J, Yang X, Zhou X, Cai J. The Role and Mechanism of Intestinal Flora in Blood Pressure Regulation and Hypertension Development. Antioxidants Redox Signal. 2021;34(10):811-830. doi:10.1089/ars.2020.8104
13. de la Cuesta-Zuluaga J, Mueller NT, Álvarez-Quintero R, et al. Higher fecal short-chain fatty acid levels are associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis, obesity, hypertension and cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Nutrients. 2019;11(1). doi:10.3390/nu11010051
14. Hamdi IA, Panggabean RI, Theresa CC, Nainggolan BWM, Balatif R. A Review of the Therapeutic Effects of Garlic in Lowering Blood Pressure: A Comprehensive Analysis of Recent Mechanisms and Existing Clinical Data. Biomed J Indones. 2025;11(1):26-37. doi:10.32539/bji.v11i1.211
15. Tokarek J, Budny E, Saar M, et al. Does the Composition of Gut Microbiota Affect Hypertension? Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Increasing Blood Pressure. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(2). doi:10.3390/ijms24021377
16. Panyod S, Wu WK, Chen PC, et al. Atherosclerosis amelioration by allicin in raw garlic through gut microbiota and trimethylamine-N-oxide modulation. npj Biofilms Microbiomes. 2022;8(1). doi:10.1038/s41522-022-00266-3
17. Gurung M, Li Z, You H, et al. Role of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology. eBioMedicine. 2020;51:102590. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.11.051
18. Barlow GM, Celly S, Mathur R. Changes in the Gut Microbiome as Seen in Diabetes and Obesity. In: Pimentel M, Mathur R, Barlow GM, eds. Clinical Understanding of the Human Gut Microbiome. Springer Nature Switzerland; 2023:61-81. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-46712-7_5
19. Bielka W, Przezak A, Pawlik A. The role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(1):1-20. doi:10.3390/ijms23010480
20. Sanna S, van Zuydam NR, Mahajan A, et al. Causal relationships among the gut microbiome, short-chain fatty acids and metabolic diseases. Nat Genet. 2019;51(4):600-605. doi:10.1038/s41588-019-0350-x
21. Lu J, Ma KL, Ruan XZ. Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota Contributes to the Development of Diabetes Mellitus. Infect Microbes Dis. 2019;1(2):43-48. doi:10.1097/IM9.0000000000000011
22. Sharma S, Tripathi P. Gut microbiome and type 2 diabetes: where we are and where to go? J Nutr Biochem. 2019;63:101-108. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2018.10.003
23. Lim WQ, Cheam JY, Law JWF, Letchumanan V, Lee LH, Tan LTH. Role of Garlic in Chronic Diseases: Focusing on Gut Microbiota Modulation. Prog Microbes Mol Biol. 2022;5(1):1-12. doi:10.36877/pmmb.a0000271
24. Ried K, Travica N, Sali A. The Effect of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract on Gut Microbiota, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Markers in Hypertensives: The GarGIC Trial. Front Nutr. 2018;5(December):1-14. doi:10.3389/fnut.2018.00122
25. Balatif R, Lubis NDA. Recent Literature Review: The Effects of Tea Consumption on Hypertension. Amerta Nutr. 2024;8(3):468-479. doi:10.20473/amnt.v8i3.2024.468-479
26. Ye X, Tang X, Li F, et al. Green and Oolong Tea Extracts With Different Phytochemical Compositions Prevent Hypertension and Modulate the Intestinal Flora in a High-Salt Diet Fed Wistar Rats. Front Nutr. 2022;9. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.892801
27. Zhao X, Guo S, Lu Y, et al. Lycium barbarum L. leaves ameliorate type 2 diabetes in rats by modulating metabolic profiles and gut microbiota composition. Biomed Pharmacother. 2020;121:109559. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109559
28. Vamanu E, Gatea F, Sârbu I, Pelinescu D. An In Vitro Study of the Influence of Curcuma longa Extracts on the Microbiota Modulation Process, In Patients with Hypertension. Pharmaceutics. 2019;11(4):191. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics11040191
29. Zhang Y, Peng Y, Zhao L, Zhou G, Li X. Regulating the gut microbiota and SCFAs in the faeces of T2DM rats should be one of antidiabetic mechanisms of mogrosides in the fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021;274(March):114033. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2021.114033
30. Dingeo G, Brito A, Samouda H, Iddir M, La Frano MR, Bohn T. Phytochemicals as modifiers of gut microbial communities. Food Funct. 2020;11(10):8444-8471. doi:10.1039/d0fo01483d
31. Luo B, Wen Y, Ye F, et al. Bioactive phytochemicals and their potential roles in modulating gut microbiota. J Agric Food Res. 2023;12(November 2022):100583. doi:10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100583
