The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. Its etiology is multifactorial, with no single definitive cause identified, although aging is a significant risk factor. Additional risks include genetic predispo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shabnam Santos, Ivonne Salinas, Nicolás Almeida, Andrés Caicedo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Engineering Microbiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667370325000360
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849254259746406400
author Shabnam Santos
Ivonne Salinas
Nicolás Almeida
Andrés Caicedo
author_facet Shabnam Santos
Ivonne Salinas
Nicolás Almeida
Andrés Caicedo
author_sort Shabnam Santos
collection DOAJ
description Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. Its etiology is multifactorial, with no single definitive cause identified, although aging is a significant risk factor. Additional risks include genetic predisposition, family history, and environmental factors such as pesticide exposure and Helicobacter pylori infection. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, and in particular bacterial imbalances, has been implicated in the disruption of the gut-brain axis, contributing to both systemic and neuroinflammation. Environmental factors such as antibiotic exposure and toxins can precipitate microbial dysregulation, potentially accelerating PD progression. Understanding the mechanisms of the gut-brain axis and identifying strategies to preserve a healthy microbiome are essential for developing novel therapeutic approaches. This review synthesizes current therapeutic strategies and ongoing research focused on restoring gut-brain balance to combat PD. These approaches include fecal microbiota transplantation, dietary interventions, and probiotic therapies, all of which show promise in mitigating both motor and non-motor symptoms. Furthermore, we emphasize the urgent need for continued research into probiotics and innovative therapeutic approaches for gut-brain axis modulation, presenting novel opportunities for effective PD management.
format Article
id doaj-art-cdb99c87719b4ac8b2ef4b7baab80bc4
institution Kabale University
issn 2667-3703
language English
publishDate 2025-09-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Engineering Microbiology
spelling doaj-art-cdb99c87719b4ac8b2ef4b7baab80bc42025-08-20T03:56:04ZengElsevierEngineering Microbiology2667-37032025-09-015310022210.1016/j.engmic.2025.100222The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunitiesShabnam Santos0Ivonne Salinas1Nicolás Almeida2Andrés Caicedo3Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Quito, Ecuador; Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, EcuadorUniversidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Quito, Ecuador; Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, EcuadorUniversidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Quito, Ecuador; Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, EcuadorUniversidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Escuela de Medicina, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Quito, Ecuador; Mito-Act Research Consortium, Quito, Ecuador; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, USFQ Space Front, Quito, Ecuador; Corresponding author.Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms. Its etiology is multifactorial, with no single definitive cause identified, although aging is a significant risk factor. Additional risks include genetic predisposition, family history, and environmental factors such as pesticide exposure and Helicobacter pylori infection. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, and in particular bacterial imbalances, has been implicated in the disruption of the gut-brain axis, contributing to both systemic and neuroinflammation. Environmental factors such as antibiotic exposure and toxins can precipitate microbial dysregulation, potentially accelerating PD progression. Understanding the mechanisms of the gut-brain axis and identifying strategies to preserve a healthy microbiome are essential for developing novel therapeutic approaches. This review synthesizes current therapeutic strategies and ongoing research focused on restoring gut-brain balance to combat PD. These approaches include fecal microbiota transplantation, dietary interventions, and probiotic therapies, all of which show promise in mitigating both motor and non-motor symptoms. Furthermore, we emphasize the urgent need for continued research into probiotics and innovative therapeutic approaches for gut-brain axis modulation, presenting novel opportunities for effective PD management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667370325000360Gut-brain axisMicrobiota dysbiosisParkinson’s diseaseProbiotic therapyNeuroinflammation
spellingShingle Shabnam Santos
Ivonne Salinas
Nicolás Almeida
Andrés Caicedo
The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
Engineering Microbiology
Gut-brain axis
Microbiota dysbiosis
Parkinson’s disease
Probiotic therapy
Neuroinflammation
title The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
title_full The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
title_fullStr The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
title_full_unstemmed The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
title_short The role of microbiota dysbiosis in Parkinson’s disease: Pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
title_sort role of microbiota dysbiosis in parkinson s disease pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities
topic Gut-brain axis
Microbiota dysbiosis
Parkinson’s disease
Probiotic therapy
Neuroinflammation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667370325000360
work_keys_str_mv AT shabnamsantos theroleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT ivonnesalinas theroleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT nicolasalmeida theroleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT andrescaicedo theroleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT shabnamsantos roleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT ivonnesalinas roleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT nicolasalmeida roleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities
AT andrescaicedo roleofmicrobiotadysbiosisinparkinsonsdiseasepathophysiologyandtherapeuticopportunities