Traditional Chinese medicine modulates immune homeostasis through the gut microbiota–microbial metabolite axis
- 1College of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Jilin Agricultural University
Abstract
The gut microbiota is considered a central regulator of immune homeostasis, and microbial metabolites serve as key mediators that translate microbial activity into host immune responses. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can modulate the composition of the gut microbiota; however, changes in microbial communities alone cannot fully explain its immunomodulatory effects. Therefore, this review summarizes the mechanisms by which TCM reshapes the gut microbial metabolome and, in turn, modulates host immune responses. TCM interventions effectively promote the production of beneficial microbial metabolites, suppress potentially harmful metabolites, and enhance microbial-mediated biotransformation of phytochemicals, thereby reshaping the gut immune microenvironment. Immune signaling pathways activated by microbial metabolites include G protein-coupled receptors, aryl hydrocarbon receptors, farnesoid X receptor, Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5, and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms; these pathways synergistically regulate mucosal immunity, immune cell differentiation, inflammatory responses, and immune homeostasis. Furthermore, this study explored the therapeutic role of the “traditional Chinese medicine–gut microbiota–microbial metabolites” axis in inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, metabolic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and other immune-mediated conditions. This research provides a new theoretical foundation for how TCM modulates host immunity by reshaping microbial metabolites, and offers new insights for the development of interventions targeting the gut microbiota.
Related
- A family of metabolite damage-control phosphatases modulates ROS-induced autophagy and plant stress resilience
- Microbiota-derived metabolite signatures in Alzheimer’s disease across the cognitive aging continuum: a human-focused systematic review and evidence-weighted knowledge graph
- New insights into the gut-heart axis: microbial metabolite biomarkers, multi-omics, and engineered bacterial delivery systems
- Substrate-driven shifts in microbial communities reshape metabolite profiles during soybean residue fermentation
- Arsenic Resistance Protein BcArs2 Modulates Endogenous ROS Homeostasis in Infection Cushions to Enhance the Virulence of Botrytis cinerea Toward Host Plants
BibTeX
@article{yang2026traditional,
title = {{Traditional Chinese medicine modulates immune homeostasis through the gut microbiota–microbial metabolite axis}},
author = {Shan Yang and Tingting Zhang and Jianing Guo and Cailing Teng and Wenyue Sun and Diwen Sun and Shiying Liu and Jia Zhou and Zhongmei He},
journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1969658},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1969658/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Traditional Chinese medicine modulates immune homeostasis through the gut microbiota–microbial metabolite axis
AU - Shan Yang
AU - Tingting Zhang
AU - Jianing Guo
AU - Cailing Teng
AU - Wenyue Sun
AU - Diwen Sun
AU - Shiying Liu
AU - Jia Zhou
AU - Zhongmei He
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1969658
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1969658/full
AB - The gut microbiota is considered a central regulator of immune homeostasis, and microbial metabolites serve as key mediators that translate microbial activity into host immune responses. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can modulate the composition of the gut microbiota; however, changes in microbial communities alone cannot fully explain its immunomodulatory effects. Therefore, this review summarizes the mechanisms by which TCM reshapes the gut microbial metabolome and, in turn, modulates host immune responses. TCM interventions effectively promote the production of beneficial microbial metabolites, suppress potentially harmful metabolites, and enhance microbial-mediated biotransformation of phytochemicals, thereby reshaping the gut immune microenvironment. Immune signaling pathways activated by microbial metabolites include G protein-coupled receptors, aryl hydrocarbon receptors, farnesoid X receptor, Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5, and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms; these pathways synergistically regulate mucosal immunity, immune cell differentiation, inflammatory responses, and immune homeostasis. Furthermore, this study explored the therapeutic role of the “traditional Chinese medicine–gut microbiota–microbial metabolites” axis in inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, metabolic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and other immune-mediated conditions. This research provides a new theoretical foundation for how TCM modulates host immunity by reshaping microbial metabolites, and offers new insights for the development of interventions targeting the gut microbiota.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -