Impact of the gastrointestinal tract microbiota on cardiovascular health and pathophysiology

The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is an extremely diverse community of microorganisms, and their collective genomes (microbiome) provide a vast arsenal of biological activities, in particular enzymatic ones, which are far from being fully elucidated. The study of the microbiota (and the microbiome) is receiving great interest from the biomedical community as it carries the potential to improve risk-prediction models, refine primary and secondary prevention efforts, and also design more appropriate and personalized therapies, including pharmacological ones. A growing body of evidence, though sometimes impaired by the limited number of subjects involved in the studies, suggests that GIT dysbiosis, i.e. the altered microbial composition, has an important role in causing and/or worsening cardiovascular disease (CVD). Bacterial translocation as well as the alteration of levels of microbe-derived metabolites can thus be important to monitor and modulate, because they may lead to initiation and progression of CVD, as well as to its establishment as chronic state. We hereby aim to provide readers with details on available resources and experimental approaches that are used in this fascinating field of biomedical research, and on some novelties on the impact of GIT microbiota on CVD.