Gut Microbiota at the Crossroads of Chronic Inflammation: Mechanisms Linking Dysbiosis to Intestinal, Metabolic, and Immune-Mediated Disease

The field of microbiome science has revolutionized understanding of human health by revealing the profound influence of intestinal microbes on systemic physiology and immune regulation. The gut microbiota functions as a central interface between host and environment, shaping epithelial integrity, nutrient metabolism, and immune homeostasis. However, accumulating evidence from multi-omics studies highlights that perturbation of this ecosystem, or dysbiosis, contributes to chronic, low-grade inflammation across diverse pathological contexts — including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, autoimmune syndromes, and neuroinflammatory conditions. While numerous microbial profiles have been linked to these diseases, the precise causal pathways through which microbial signalling and metabolites perpetuate or ameliorate inflammation remain incompletely defined. Current research is beginning to unravel the complex interactions among microbial metabolites, the intestinal epithelium, and innate and adaptive immune networks, but major gaps persist regarding how these processes coordinate across different organs and disease states.This Research Topic aims to elucidate how the gut microbiome orchestrates chronic inflammation and influences disease pathogenesis across intestinal, metabolic, and immune-mediated disorders. Specifically, it seeks to move beyond descriptive associations to identify mechanistic and translational insights into the molecular circuits connecting dysbiosis, barrier dysfunction, pattern recognition receptor signalling, cytokine regulation, and immune cell differentiation. The ultimate goal is to foster an integrative understanding of cross-organ communication pathways—such as the gut–liver, gut–adipose, gut–brain, and gut–joint axes—and to pinpoint microbial and metabolic targets for intervention. By synthesizing multiple lines of preclinical, clinical, and computational research, this Research Topic aims to advance a more unified framework for microbiome-based strategies to prevent or mitigate chronic inflammatory diseases.This Research Topic is limited to chronic and preventive disease contexts and excludes acute critical care or sepsis. To gather further insights into this field, we welcome original research articles, reviews, mini-Reviews, systematic reviews, methods, hypothesis & theory, perspectives and all type of articles accepted by the journal addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Local intestinal inflammation and mucosal immunity (IBD, celiac disease, colitis, food allergy, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, etc.)o Metabolic inflammation and microbiome-driven metabolic dysregulation (obesity, insulin resistance, NAFLD/MASLD, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, etc.)o Autoimmune and immune-mediated pathologies (rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathies, lupus, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, etc.)o Neuroinflammation and the gut–brain axis (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, etc.)o To the microbiome correlated mechanistic insights into barrier function, PRR signaling, inflammasome activation, extracellular vesicles, Th17/Treg balance, and host–metabolite receptor interactions (AhR, FXR, GPR41/43, TGR5) o Translational strategies: dietary modulation, prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, next-generation live biotherapeutics, and precision nutrition interventions Topic editors: Mi Liu, Xingli Fan, Duygu Ağagündüz, Ferenc Budan, Ze Yu, Jing Liu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82105/gut-microbiota-at-the-crossroads-of-chronic-inflammation-mechanisms-linking-dysbiosis-to-intestinal-metabolic-and-immune-mediated-disease