Clinically significant interactions between drugs, microbiome, and sex
1Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia.
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology
|April 15, 2026
Summary
Drug-microbiome interactions are crucial for drug effects, but sex differences remain understudied. More research is needed to understand how the microbiome and sex impact drug metabolism and treatment outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Microbiology
- Sex Differences Research
Background:
- Drug interactions with the human microbiome significantly affect drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics.
- However, clinical research investigating the influence of sex on these drug-microbiome interactions is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of drug-microbiome interactions.
- To highlight the significant knowledge gap regarding sex-based differences in these interactions.
- To emphasize the need for further research into sex-specific effects on drug metabolism and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of literature was conducted.
- Searches were performed in PubMed and Google Scholar from 2015 to the present.
- The review focused on clinical trials and observational studies in human populations.
Main Results:
- Current knowledge on the clinical impact of microbiomes on drug metabolism and treatment outcomes in humans is scarce.
- The role of sex in modulating these drug-microbiome interactions remains largely unanswered.
Conclusions:
- Further research is essential to elucidate the influence of the microbiome on drug effects.
- Population pharmacokinetic studies incorporating microbiome composition and sex as covariates are necessary.
- Clinical studies examining treatment outcomes are crucial to address the unanswered questions regarding sex differences in drug-microbiome interactions.
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