Pharmacomicrobiomics

Pharmacomicrobiomics is concerned with the interaction between xenobiotics, or foreign compounds, and the gut microbiome. It is estimated that over 100 trillion prokaryotes representing more than 1000 species reside in the gut ((Ley et al, 2006), (Arumugam, 2011). Within the gut, vagina, oral cavity, nares, skin and placenta, microbes help modulate developmental, immunological and nutrition host functions (Egert et al., 2006). Through the secretion of enzymes that assist in the metabolism of chemicals foreign to the body, modification of the activity of liver, and intestinal enzymes, and modulation of the expression of human metabolic genes, microbes can significantly impact the ingestion of xenobiotics (Saad, 2012). The aggregate genome of microbes extends the metabolic capabilities of humans, allowing them to capture nutrients from diverse sources (Haiser, 2013).