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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Applying Advanced In Vitro Culturing Technology to Study the Human Gut Microbiota
Published on: February 15, 2019
Human microbial metabolites as a source of new drugs
Somdutta Saha1, Deepak K Rajpal1, James R Brown1
1Computational Biology, Target Sciences, R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, 1250 S. Collegeville Road, Collegeville, PA 19426-0989, USA.
Abstract:
Crosstalk between the microbiome and the human host is mediated by specific ligand-receptor interactions involving microbially generated metabolites that can be either agonists or antagonists of human proteins. The evolved co-compatibility of gut microbiota with human systems points to a potentially rich area for discovering new drug-like molecules that are both highly specific modulators of human pathways and derisked for adverse effects. In this review, we discuss the rapidly growing research into the role of microbial metabolites in human health and suggest potential strategies for developing these molecules into therapeutic agents.
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