Gut Microbiota Modulation by Medicinal Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds Based on Plant-Microbiota-Host Axis

Over the past decade, gut microbiota has emerged as a central mediator linking diet, environmental exposures, and human health. At the same time, medicinal plants have continued to attract extensive attention as a rich source of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, terpenoids, alkaloids, and saponins, many of which exhibit promising therapeutic potential in chronic and complex diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that the health benefits of these phytochemicals are not solely dependent on their direct absorption and systemic distribution, but are also critically mediated by dynamic, bidirectional interactions with the gut microbiome. In this context, medicinal plant-derived compounds may act as prebiotic-like substrates or signaling molecules that reshape microbial community structure and function, while gut microbes biotransform these compounds into more bioactive or bioavailable metabolites that influence host immunity, metabolism, inflammation, and neuroendocrine signaling.This Research Topic aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for the latest advances in decoding the “plant–microbiota–host” axis. We seek to bring together original research, reviews, methods, and perspectives that explore how medicinal plants and their active constituents modulate the gut microbiota and how these interactions contribute to disease prevention, mechanistic understanding, and therapeutic innovation. Particularly welcome are studies employing integrative multi-omics approaches, including metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, culturomics, and network-based analyses, as well as germ-free or microbiota-depletion animal models, fecal microbiota transplantation, and clinical or translational validation.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, - microbial metabolism and biotransformation of plant-derived compounds; - identification of key microbial taxa and enzymes involved in phytochemical utilization; - medicinal plant interventions targeting microbiota-related disorders such as metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer; - mechanistic studies along microbiota-organ axes such as the gut–brain, gut–liver, and gut–lung axes; - precision nutrition and personalized phytochemical interventions based on microbial signatures; - emerging delivery systems or synthetic biology strategies designed to improve the microbiota-targeted efficacy of natural products.By integrating molecular mechanisms, translational relevance, and technological innovation, this Research Topic will advance our understanding of cross-kingdom interactions between medicinal plants and the gut microbiome, while also highlighting new opportunities for microbiota-informed therapeutic development and human health promotion. Topic editors: Dan Xiao, Denis Baranenko, Yingyu Zhou Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83317/gut-microbiota-modulation-by-medicinal-plant-derived-bioactive-compounds-based-on-plant-microbiota-host-axis