Page 34 - Read Online

Xu et al. Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:13 Microbiome Research
DOI: 10.20517/mrr.2023.68
Reports

Review Open Access

Gut microbiota: an ideal biomarker and intervention
strategy for aging

1,#
1
Xuan Xu 1,2,# , Tangchang Xu , Jing Wei , Tingtao Chen 1
1
Institution of Translational Medicine, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China.
2
Huankui Academy, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China.
#
Authors contributed equally.
Correspondence to: Prof. Tingtao Chen, Prof. Jing Wei, Institution of Translational Medicine, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang
University, No.999 Xuefu Road, Honggutan New District, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China. E-mail: chentingtao1984@163.com;
weijing19841111@163.com
How to cite this article: Xu X, Xu T, Wei J, Chen T. Gut microbiota: an ideal biomarker and intervention strategy for aging.
Microbiome Res Rep 2024;3:13. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/mrr.2023.68

Received: 24 Nov 2023 Accepted: 15 Dec 2023 Published: 1 Jan 2024

Academic Editor: Chao Zhao Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
Population aging is a substantial challenge for the global sanitation framework. Unhealthy aging tends to be
accompanied by chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, which undermine the
welfare of the elderly. Based on the fact that aging is inevitable but retarding aging is attainable, flexible aging
characterization and efficient anti-aging become imperative for healthy aging. The gut microbiome, as the most
dynamic component interacting with the organism, can affect the aging process through its own structure and
metabolites, thus holding the potential to become both an ideal aging-related biomarker and an intervention
strategy. This review summarizes the value of applying gut microbiota as aging-related microbial biomarkers in
diagnosing aging state and monitoring the effect of anti-aging interventions, ultimately pointing to the future
prospects of microbial intervention strategies in maintaining healthy aging.

Keywords: Aging, gut microbiota, microbial biomarker, anti-aging intervention

INTRODUCTION
Aging is a physiological process that individuals must undergo to death. The World Health Organization
(WHO) defines it as “the gradual accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time” , which
[1]

© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

www.oaepublish.com/mrr