The influence of the gut microbiota on the bioavailability of oral drugs

Due to its safety, convenience, low cost and good compliance, oral administration attracts lots of attention. However, the efficacy of many oral drugs is limited to their unsatisfactory bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the critical and most overlooked factors is the symbiotic gut microbiota that can modulate the bioavailability of oral drugs by participating in the biotransformation of oral drugs, influencing the drug transport process and altering some gastrointestinal properties. In this review, we summarized the existing research investigating the possible relationship between the gut microbiota and the bioavailability of oral drugs, which may provide great ideas and useful instructions for the design of novel drug delivery systems or the achievement of personalized medicine. (C) 2021 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

Oral administration is popular due to its safety, convenience, low cost, and good compliance, but the bioavailability of many oral drugs is limited by the gut microbiota. Research on the relationship between gut microbiota and the bioavailability of oral drugs is crucial for designing novel drug delivery systems or achieving personalized medicine.