Gut microbiota and Parkinson’s disease: exploring pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies from a gut-brain axis perspective

Jan 26, 2026iScience

Gut bacteria and Parkinson’s disease: understanding how the gut-brain connection may contribute and offer treatment ideas

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Abstract

Parkinson's disease affects over 1‰ of the global population, highlighting its significant public health impact.

Parkinson's disease is characterized by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The gut may play a crucial role in the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease.
Key mechanisms associated with Parkinson's disease include neuroinflammation in the central nervous system, pathological aggregation of α-synuclein, and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Potential gut-targeted therapeutic strategies include fecal microbiota transplantation, anti-inflammatory therapies, and supplementation with short-chain fatty acids.
Understanding these mechanisms could enhance early diagnosis and treatment options for Parkinson's disease.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder with a global prevalence exceeding 1‰, posing a significant public health challenge. Although the pathogenesis of PD is not yet fully elucidated, accumulating evidence suggests that it results from the interplay between genetic and environmental factors, highlighting its multifactorial nature. With advances in translational medicine, the gut has emerged as a critical participant in PD onset and progression. This review systematically summarizes the role of the gut in PD, particularly emphasizing potential mechanisms involving neuroinflammation in the central nervous system (CNS), pathological aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn), and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, gut-targeted therapeutic strategies for PD are discussed, including fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), gut-directed anti-inflammatory therapies, supplementation with gut microbiota-derived metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and interventions targeting α-syn aggregation. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms not only advances the pathological knowledge of PD but also provides theoretical foundations for the early diagnosis and innovative treatment of the disease.

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Gut microbiota and Parkinson’s disease: exploring pathogenesis and potential therapeutic strategies from a gut-brain axis perspective

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