A groundbreaking study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University has uncovered how common gut bacteria can significantly impact the effectiveness of crucial medications. The research revealed that bacterial strains can metabolize and transform drugs targeting cellular receptors, potentially reducing their therapeutic potential. Scientists discovered that out of 127 tested drugs, 30 were metabolized, with 12 experiencing substantial chemical transformation. These findings underscore the complex interactions between human microbiome and pharmaceutical treatments, highlighting the need for more personalized medical approaches.
April 04, 2025
Common gut bacteria can make diabetes, cancer drugs less effective: Study
"Understanding how GPCR-targeted drugs
interact with human gut microbiota is critical" - Dr. Qihao Wu, University
of Pittsburgh
Common gut bacteria can make diabetes, cancer
drugs less effective: Study
Common gut bacteria can metabolise some oral
medications potentially rendering these important drugs against migraines,
depression, type 2 diabetes, and prostate cancer less effective, according to a
study on Thursday.
Key Points
1 Gut bacteria metabolize over 30 critical
medications targeting cellular receptors
2 Research identifies potential challenges in
personalized medicine approaches
3 Bacterial transformation can significantly alter
drug concentration and efficacy
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh
and Yale University in the US showed that gut bacteria metabolises oral drugs
that target cellular receptors called GPCRs.
Drugs that act on GPCRs, or G protein-coupled
receptors, include more than 400 medications approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for the treatment of many common conditions such as
migraines, depression, type 2 diabetes, prostate cancer, and more.
“Understanding how GPCR-targeted drugs
interact with human gut microbiota is critical for advancing personalised
medicine initiatives,” said Qihao Wu, Assistant Professor at the Pitt School of
Pharmacy.
“This research could help open up new avenues
for drug design and therapeutic optimisation to ensure that treatments work
better and safer for every individual,” Wu said.
The effectiveness of a drug varies from
person to person, influenced by age, genetic makeup, diet and other factors.
Recently, researchers discovered that
microbes in the gut can also metabolise orally administered drugs. It breaks
down the compounds into different chemical structures which then alters the
drugs' efficacy.
To learn more about which gut bacteria
metabolises which drugs, the team built a synthetic microbial community
composed of 30 common bacterial strains found in the human gut.
In the lab study, they added each of the 127
GPCR-targeting drugs individually to tubes containing the bacteria.
The experiment showed that the bacterial mix
metabolised 30 of the 127 tested drugs, 12 of which were heavily metabolised.
This meant that concentrations of the original drug were greatly depleted
because they were transformed into other compounds.
Overall, the findings, published in the
journal Nature Chemistry, suggest that “specific gut bacteria could make
GPCR-targeting drugs less effective by transforming them into other compounds,”
the team said. The team urged for more research to understand the potential
impact in people and that patients shouldn’t stop taking or, change their
medication without consulting their provider.
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