The human gut microbiota consists of approximately 1014 microorganisms that exhibit commensalism with the human intestinal tract. These microbes comprise bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoan. The predominant bacteria colonizing the intestinal tract are gram-positive Firmicutes (Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium, Eubacterium, etc.) and gram-negative Bacteroidetes (Prevotella and Bacteroides)1. Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio is a marker of gut dysbiosis, and an increased F/B ratio is reported to be associated with obesity, inflammation (ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel diseases) and various metabolic disorders2–5. Two independent studies involving the Korean and Ukrainian populations observed a positive correlation between increased F/B ratio and BMI4,5. This highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiota. This article focuses on nutraceuticals that aid in maintaining a healthy gut microbiota.
There are reports on the modulation of gut microbiota by berberine, Boswellia serrata, Garcinia cambogia, grape seed extract and various other nutraceuticals. A study observed the effect of Boswellia serrata on the modulation of gut microbiota in male and female mice. They observed that 14 days of supplementation of 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-b-boswellic acid (AKBA), an active metabolite in Boswellia serrata, significantly increased Akkermansia muciniphila in male as well as female mice6. Akkermansia muciniphila is reported to be beneficial in improving insulin sensitivity and has anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties7. Another study reported the potential of Garcinia cambogia extract in combination with probiotics in suppressing Clostridium aminophilum and other bacteria associated with obesity phenotypes in mice. A significant reduction in weight gain and mean adipocyte size were observed in obese mice supplemented with Garcinia cambogia extract and probiotics combination8. In another study, grape seed extract exhibited anti-oxidant potential in ageing mice models by modulating gut microbiota. They observed that grape seed supplementation increased Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia, and decreased Helicobacter in ageing mice9. There are various reports on berberine in modulating gut microbiota. A study reported that berberine reduced gut microbiota dysbiosis by increasing the abundance of beneficial gut microorganisms, including Akkermansia and Parabacteroides, in the HFD (high-fat diet) mice model10. In a similar study, berberine was reported to modulate intestinal microbiota by increasing the abundance of Bacteroides and Akkermansia in the ulcerative colitis model, where intestinal microbiota is otherwise dysregulated11.
Overall, it can be concluded that berberine, Boswellia serrata, Garcinia cambogia, and grape seed extract as nutraceutical supplements could manage gut dysbiosis. These nutraceuticals alone or in combination with probiotics can effectively increase the abundance of gut-friendly microbes.
References:
(1) Singh, R. K.; Chang, H. W.; Yan, D.; Lee, K. M.; Ucmak, D.; Wong, K.; Abrouk, M.; Farahnik, B.; Nakamura, M.; Zhu, T. H.; Bhutani, T.; Liao, W. Influence of Diet on the Gut Microbiome and Implications for Human Health. Journal of Translational Medicine. BioMed Central Ltd. April 8, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-017-1175-y.
(2) Yin, Y.; Yang, T.; Tian, Z.; Shi, C.; Yan, C.; Li, H.; Du, Y.; Li, G. Progress in the Investigation of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio as a Potential Pathogenic Factor in Ulcerative Colitis. J Med Microbiol 2025, 74 (1). https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.001966.
(3) Grigorescu, I.; Dumitrascu, D. L. Implication of Gut Microbiota in Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity. Acta Endocrinologica. Acta Endocrinologica Foundation April 1, 2016, pp 206–214. https://doi.org/10.4183/aeb.2016.206.
(4) Ahmed, K.; Choi, H. N.; Cho, S. R.; Yim, J. E. Association of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio with Body Mass Index in Korean Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients. Metabolites 2024, 14 (10). https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100518.
(5) Koliada, A.; Syzenko, G.; Moseiko, V.; Budovska, L.; Puchkov, K.; Perederiy, V.; Gavalko, Y.; Dorofeyev, A.; Romanenko, M.; Tkach, S.; Sineok, L.; Lushchak, O.; Vaiserman, A. Association between Body Mass Index and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio in an Adult Ukrainian Population. BMC Microbiol 2017, 17 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-017-1027-1.
(6) Suther, C.; Daddi, L.; Bokoliya, S.; Panier, H.; Liu, Z.; Lin, Q.; Han, Y.; Chen, K.; Moore, M. D.; Zhou, Y. Dietary Boswellia Serrata Acid Alters the Gut Microbiome and Blood Metabolites in Experimental Models. Nutrients 2022, 14 (4). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040814.
(7) Depommier, C.; Everard, A.; Druart, C.; Plovier, H.; Van Hul, M.; Vieira-Silva, S.; Falony, G.; Raes, J.; Maiter, D.; Delzenne, N. M.; de Barsy, M.; Loumaye, A.; Hermans, M. P.; Thissen, J. P.; de Vos, W. M.; Cani, P. D. Supplementation with Akkermansia Muciniphila in Overweight and Obese Human Volunteers: A Proof-of-Concept Exploratory Study. Nat Med 2019, 25 (7), 1096–1103. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0495-2.
(8) Heo, J.; Seo, M.; Park, H.; Lee, W. K.; Guan, L. L.; Yoon, J.; Caetano-Anolles, K.; Ahn, H.; Kim, S. Y.; Kang, Y. M.; Cho, S.; Kim, H. Gut Microbiota Modulated by Probiotics and Garcinia Cambogia Extract Correlate with Weight Gain and Adipocyte Sizes in High Fat-Fed Mice. Sci Rep 2016, 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33566.
(9) Sheng, K.; Yang, J.; Xu, Y.; Kong, X.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y. Alleviation Effects of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in a D-Galactose-Induced Aging Mouse Model by Modulating the Gut Microbiota. Food Funct 2022, 13 (3), 1348–1359. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1fo03396d.
(10) Chen, H.; Ye, C.; Wu, C.; Zhang, J.; Xu, L.; Wang, X.; Xu, C.; Zhang, J.; Guo, Y.; Yao, Q. Berberine Inhibits High Fat Diet-Associated Colorectal Cancer through Modulation of the Gut Microbiota-Mediated Lysophosphatidylcholine. Int J Biol Sci 2023, 19 (7), 2097–2113. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.81824.
(11) Yang, T.; Qin, N.; Liu, F.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, W.; Fan, D. Berberine Regulates Intestinal Microbiome and Metabolism Homeostasis to Treat Ulcerative Colitis. Life Sci 2024, 338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122385.
