Gut microbiota: a potential target for traditional Chinese medicine intervention in coronary heart disease

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Microbiome Research
• Cardiovascular Disease

Background:

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains incompletely understood, with current single-target drugs offering limited efficacy.
• Gut microbiota (GM) alterations, including changes in composition, diversity, and richness, are increasingly linked to CHD risk.
• Gut microbiota metabolites such as trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and bile acids (BAs) significantly influence human physiology and disease pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the intricate relationship between gut microbiota and coronary heart disease (CHD).
• To explore the potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in modulating gut microbiota for CHD intervention.
• To provide insights into novel therapeutic strategies for CHD leveraging TCM and gut microbiota regulation.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search across major scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, CNKI).
• Keywords used: "gut microbiota," "gut flora," "traditional Chinese medicine," "herbal medicine," "coronary heart disease."
• Systematic review and synthesis of existing research on GM, TCM, and CHD.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests GM dysbiosis is associated with CHD development and progression.
• TCM demonstrates a capacity to intervene in CHD by regulating GM composition and metabolite production.
• TCM interventions can reduce detrimental metabolites like TMAO and promote beneficial ones like SCFAs.

Conclusions:

• Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CHD.
• Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a promising multi-component, multi-target therapeutic approach for CHD by modulating the gut microbiota.
• Further research into TCM-based gut microbiota interventions could lead to more effective CHD treatments.