Complex influences of gut microbiome metabolism on various drug responses

ABSTRACT

The gut microbiome closely interacts with the host, and it has a major influence on drug response. Many studies have reported the possible microbial influences on drugs and the possible influences of drugs on the microbiome. This knowledge has led to a better understanding of intra- and inter-individual variabilities in clinical pharmacology. For a more precise understanding of the complex correlation between the microbiome and drugs, in this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the interactions between the gut microbiome and drug response. Moreover, we suggest gut microbiome-derived metabolites as possible modulators of drug response and recommend metabolomics as a powerful tool to achieve such understanding.