Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Gut Microbiota to Intervene in Digestive System Malignant Tumors： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20250113
- VernacularTitle:中药调节肠道菌群干预消化系统恶性肿瘤的研究进展
- Author:
Yu ZHU
1
;
Ju HUANG
2
;
Nianzhi CHEN
3
;
Cheng LUO
2
;
Xianbo WU
1
Author Information
1. School of Sports Medicine and Health， Chengdu Sport University， Chengdu 641418， China
2. Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM）， Chengdu 610032， China
3. Shuguang Hospital， Shanghai University of TCM， Shanghai 200021， China
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
gut microbiota;
digestive system malignant tumors;
traditional Chinese medicine;
immunity;
metabolite regulation
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(13):261-270
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Digestive system malignant tumors （DT） are one of the leading causes of death globally and carry a heavy economic burden. Gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining host health， including providing nutrition， defending against pathogens， and promoting immune development. In recent years， more and more studies have shown that dysbiosis of gut microbiota is closely associated with DT such as gastric cancer， liver cancer， and colon cancer. Therefore， targeted regulation of gut microbiota plays a potential role in inhibiting the growth and metastasis of DT， while its specific regulatory mechanism remains unclear. As the studies about the anti-tumor effects of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， especially the basic and clinical studies on the regulation of gut microbiota by TCM in tumor treatment， have been growing， the therapeutic effects of TCM on DT have attracted much attention. This paper provides a systematic review of the relationship between gut microbiota and DT， as well as the related studies on the modulation of gut microbiota by TCM against DT， with the aim of providing a foundation and direction for future basic and clinical studies on DT. The literature review shows that gut microbiota influence the occurrence and development of DT through multiple pathways. These pathways include triggering chronic inflammation， producing oncogenic metabolites， inducing genomic instability， regulating the immune system， and altering the tumor microenvironment. TCM can exert anti-DT effects by regulating the composition of gut microbiota， modulating gut microbiota metabolites， repairing intestinal barrier function， and influencing immune functions. Therefore， understanding the relationship between gut microbiota and DT and the regulatory mechanisms of TCM may provide new strategies for future prevention and treatment of DT.
