ABSTRACT
In recent years, the study of symbiotic microbial community on human health and disease has gradually become a hot spot.In particular, the Human Microbiome Project and the emergence of 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology have further promoted the study of human-related microbiota.The gut microbiota is the largest microecosystem of the human body.Normal gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining host immune balance, promoting nutrient metabolism and sustaining intestinal homeostasis.At present, there is increasing evidence that gut microbiota disorders are associated with a variety of diseases, not only having an impact on the intestinal tract but also affecting many extraintestinal tissues and organs.With the emergence of the concept of gut-brain axis, which interacts between gut microbiota and brain, some researchers suggest that there may also be gut-eye axis between gut microbiota and eye.This review summarized the recent research advances on the role of gut microbiota in ophthalmic diseases, including corneal diseases, uveitis, retinopathies, and the ophthalmic diseases associated with systemic diseases, in the hope that it could provide evidence for the existence of gut-eye axis and new idea for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases in the future.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Recently, gut microbiota has emerged as an important mediator of several diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, obesity, cancers and neuropsychiatric diseases including Alzheimer, autism and depression. Intestinal microbiota is formed by bacteria, fungi and viruses and its main function is to facilitate the absorption and metabolism of foods (protein, fat and carbohydrate). One example of the multiple actions of the gut microbiota is the bidirectional relationship between the intestine and the brain, the so-called "gut/brain axis". Furthermore, metabolites produced by gut microbiota can induce effects locally or at distance, which suggests that the intestine is an endocrine organ. Given the participation of the gut microbiota in several diseases, there is great interest in strategies that may positively affect the gut flora and prevent or even treat diseases. Among these strategies, lifestyle change, but specially diet modulation has gained importance. In this article, we review the mechanisms through which intestinal microbiota participates in cardiovascular diseases and possible therapeutic interventions.