Gut microbial transformation, a potential improving factor in the therapeutic activities of four groups of natural compounds isolated from herbal medicines.

Gut microbial transformation, a potential improving factor in the therapeutic activities of four groups of natural compounds isolated from herbal medicines. Fitoterapia. 2019 Aug 06;:104293 Authors: Wang J, Feng W, Tang F, Ao H, Peng C Abstract Herbal medicines (HMs) have attracted widespread attention because of their significant contributions to the prevention and treatment of many human diseases. Recently, gut microbiota has become an important frontier to understand the therapeutic mechanisms of medicines. Gut microbiota-mediated transformation is a microbial metabolic form after oral administrations of HMs compounds. A great number of studies showed that gut microbiota could transform some HMs compounds by the variation of chemical structures into several active metabolites, which exerted better bioavailabilities and therapeutic activities than their parent compounds. Among these HMs compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols and terpenoids were the representative ones. However, there is no systemic review focusing on the potential improving effects of gut microbial transformation on the therapeutic activities of these four groups of HMs compounds. Here, this review summarizes the therapeutic activities that are more potent in microbial transformed metabolites than in their parent compounds (alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols and terpenoids) from HMs. We hope this review will be conducive to deepening the understanding of the...
Source: Fitoterapia - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Fitoterapia Source Type: research