The Microbiome Epoch: Cracking the Cardiovascular-Neurodegenerative Disorder Code

Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome (GM) may exert a seminal role in the maintenance of host health as well as in the pathogenesis of various illnesses, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs). GM influences host physiology by metabolizing dietary factors and host-derived substrates, thereby producing active molecules that trigger responses at local and systemic levels. The inflammatory process is characterized by a rapid "onset phase" followed by a "resolution phase", which is essential to curtail inflammation and restore tissue homeostasis. Unique individual and environmental conditions may alter the GM equilibrium as well as impair the "resolution phase" leading to GM dysbiosis and chronic low-grade inflammatory conditions, which eventually promote the development of common/widespread human pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel and autoimmune diseases, cancer, CVD, and NDDs. This review describes the different components of the gastrointestinal tract, namely the enteroendocrine and enteric nervous systems, and the GM. Secondly, it discusses the connections among unresolved and sterile inflammation, GM and human illnesses, namely CVD and NDDs. Finally, we emphasizes the limitations of current evidence and the need for further research to fill the gap in establishing the causal link between the GM and the pathogenesis of both CVD and NDDs.