Microbial Factors in Inflammatory Diseases and Cancers

The intestinal microbes form a symbiotic relationship with their human host to harvest energy for themselves and their host and to shape the immune system of their host. However, alteration of this relationship, which is named as a dysbiosis, has been associated with the development of different inflammatory diseases and cancers. It is found that metabolites, cellular components, and virulence factors derived from the gut microbiota interact with the host locally or systemically to modulate the dysbiosis and the development of these diseases. In this book chapter, we discuss the role of these microbial factors in regulating the host signaling pathways, the composition and load of the gut microbiota, the co-metabolism of the host and the microbiota, the host immune system, and physiology. In particular, we highlight how each microbial factor can contribute in the manifestation of many diseases such as cancers, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, obesity, type-2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cardiovascular diseases.