Gut microbiota and inflammatory bowel disease: mechanisms, clinical implications, and future directions

The gut microbiota plays a vital role in intestinal homeostasis and the regulation of the immune system, thereby influencing overall well-being. Disruption of this microbial ecosystem, termed dysbiosis, has been implicated in the aetiology of a large number of human diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). IBD is classified into Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Several factors, such as genetic predisposition and gut microbiota, cause IBD. It has been suggested that there is a significant correlation between the development of IBD and alterations in the gut microbiome. This disproportion between healthy gut microbiota and their metabolites has recently been revealed by clinical studies, with the development of screening, sequencing, and multiomics technology. Therefore, gut microbiome dynamics studies and their interaction with the host can have essential results on the pathogenesis of IBD. Hence, this review highlights the recent findings on the role of the gut microbiota in IBD, the mechanisms by which microbial dysbiosis leads to inflammation, and the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiome. In addition, we talked about potential interventions involving the microbiome, such as probiotics, prebiotics, and microbiome-directed therapies as well.