Drugging the gut microbiota: toward rational modulation of bacterial composition in the gut

The human gastrointestinal tract hosts almost a trillion microorganisms, organized in a complex community known as the gut microbiota, an integral part of human physiology and metabolism. Indeed, disease-specific alterations in the gut microbiota have been observed in several chronic disorders, including obesity and inflammatory bowel diseases. Correcting these alterations could revert the development of such pathologies or alleviate their symptoms. Recently, the gut microbiota has been the target of drug discovery that goes beyond classic probiotic approaches. This short review examines the promises and limitations of the latest strategies designed to modulate the gut bacterial community, and it explores the druggability of the gut microbiota by focusing on the potential of small molecules and prebiotics.