Your Gut Bacteria Could Affect How Drugs Work For You

Microorganisms in the gut likely have an effect on how the body metabolizes drugs, according to a new study.

AsianScientist (Aug. 17, 2016) – Research from Japan suggests that changes in the intestinal flora brought on by antibacterials and antibiotics or individual differences between people may have an effect on a person’s response to drugs—including side effects they might suffer. This finding was published in Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Antibacterial and antibiotic drugs are often prescribed for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections and often taken with therapeutic drugs to prevent recurrence of infection. Unfortunately, the drugs affect not only harmful bacteria, but also the naturally-occurring bacteria within the intestines.

Kumamoto University researchers set out to investigate protein changes in the liver and kidney as a result of antibacterial drug consumption. Changes in these proteins have a great influence on drug efficacy and side effects since they are responsible for the metabolism and transport of many drugs, and are also affected by changes in the intestinal flora.

The research was conducted using three different groups of mice: an experimental group of germ-free mice which were free of intestinal bacteria since birth; a group of mice that had received antibacterial drugs for five consecutive days; and a control group of mice with naturally occurring intestinal flora.

By carrying out a large-scale analysis of proteins, the researchers detected changes in the levels of proteins involved in drug metabolism and transport in the liver and kidneys of the mice.

“The most significant drug-metabolizing enzyme that decreased was cytochrome P450 2b10 (Cyp2b10),” said Professor Sumio Ohtsuki, who led the research project.

“Not only was the amount of the enzyme reduced nearly 96 percent, but the metabolic capacity of the drug in the liver was also reduced by approximately 82 percent. Cyp3a11, a similar type of enzyme, was also reduced by about 88 percent.”

The human equivalent of these two enzymes, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4, are reported to be related to the metabolism of more than half of the pharmaceuticals on the market, Ohtsuki noted.

In the future, if it is confirmed that similar mechanisms exist in humans, the researchers expect that their work could lead to more optimal dosing and a reduction in drug side effects.


The article can be found at: Kuno et al. (2016) Effect of Intestinal Flora on Protein Expression of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters in the Liver and Kidney of Germ-Free and Antibiotics-Treated Mice.

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Source: Kumamoto University; Photo: Pixabay.
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