Gut microbiome-derived metabolites in prostate cancer: microbial mechanisms of immune modulation, androgen metabolism, and therapeutic implications
Abstract
The global burden of prostate cancer continues to rise, yet conventional biomarkers and therapies face substantial limitations due to tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance. The gut microbiome has emerged as a critical regulator of host metabolism and immunity, with its bioactive metabolites influencing prostate cancer pathogenesis through multiple interconnected pathways. Short-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, microbiota-modulated tryptophan metabolites, and microbiota-derived androgens modulate immune surveillance, androgen metabolism, and therapeutic responses via hormonal and inflammatory signaling networks. These metabolites exert context-dependent effects that vary with concentration, disease stage, and the tumor microenvironment. This narrative review comprehensively synthesizes current mechanistic evidence on microbiome-derived metabolite signaling and evaluates the potential of circulating microbial metabolites as non-invasive biomarkers, while outlining future research priorities for clinical translation in prostate cancer management.
Related
- Specialized Metabolites in Cereal Crops Under Abiotic Stress: Regulatory Mechanisms, Functional Validation, and Breeding Implications
- Gut microbiota–derived tryptophan metabolites: molecular mechanisms, nutritional strategies and implications for swine health
- From gut to lung: the microbiome-directed causal mechanisms and therapeutic horizons in asthma
- Editorial: The expanding spectrum of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic implications
- Fungal melanin as a bioactive biopolymer: structural diversity, oxidative stress modulation, anticancer mechanisms, and therapeutic perspectives.
BibTeX
@article{mi2026microbiomederived,
title = {{Gut microbiome-derived metabolites in prostate cancer: microbial mechanisms of immune modulation, androgen metabolism, and therapeutic implications}},
author = {Jun Mi and Peilong Wang and Fang Wu and Xi Xiao},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1982639},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1982639},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gut microbiome-derived metabolites in prostate cancer: microbial mechanisms of immune modulation, androgen metabolism, and therapeutic implications
AU - Jun Mi
AU - Peilong Wang
AU - Fang Wu
AU - Xi Xiao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1982639
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1982639
AB - The global burden of prostate cancer continues to rise, yet conventional biomarkers and therapies face substantial limitations due to tumor heterogeneity and treatment resistance. The gut microbiome has emerged as a critical regulator of host metabolism and immunity, with its bioactive metabolites influencing prostate cancer pathogenesis through multiple interconnected pathways. Short-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, microbiota-modulated tryptophan metabolites, and microbiota-derived androgens modulate immune surveillance, androgen metabolism, and therapeutic responses via hormonal and inflammatory signaling networks. These metabolites exert context-dependent effects that vary with concentration, disease stage, and the tumor microenvironment. This narrative review comprehensively synthesizes current mechanistic evidence on microbiome-derived metabolite signaling and evaluates the potential of circulating microbial metabolites as non-invasive biomarkers, while outlining future research priorities for clinical translation in prostate cancer management.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -