Figure 7.
Conventional gut microbiota-oriented approaches for precision medicine. (A) Rational use of drugs, including the selection of a suitable dosage and drug administration time and the combinational use of (non-antibiotic) drugs. A dosage based on the levels of drug-metabolizing bacteria can ensure the consistency of the levels of active drugs between and within individuals. At different time points, gut microbiota release different levels of metabolites that can act synergically to enhance the toxicity of drugs such as acetaminophen. The combined use of drugs especially bacterial enzyme inhibitors can inhibit the metabolizing effects of gut microbiota on drugs. (B) Conventional methods for modulating gut microbiota. Gut microbiota can be modified by antibiotics, probiotics, diet, prebiotics and FMT. Notably, the extent of modification is not precise.