Disease-associated gut microbiota involvement and its mechanisms in the lung injury

The gut microbiota is generally thought in regulating the body′s metabolism and immune function. The imbalance of gut microbiota is related to the occurrence and development mechanisms of acute and chronic lung diseases, resulting from lung injury. The “gut-lung axis” pays a main role in various ways in the occurrence of lung injury, including intestinal barrier dysfunction, reduced diversity of gut microbiota, decreased secretion of beneficial metabolites, translocation of gut microbiota and metabolites to the lungs, immune damage to the body and lungs, increased inflammatory response in the lungs.