Cited by 1,905Gut microbiota and healthAntibiotic Resistance in BacteriaAntibiotic Use and Resistance

Extensive impact of non-antibiotic drugs on human gut bacteria

Open access
Maier, Lisa, Pruteanu, Mihaela, Kuhn, Michael, Zeller, Georg, Telzerow, Anja, Anderson, Exene Erin, Brochado, Ana Rita, Fernandez, Keith Conrad +5 more·2018·Nature

Abstract

A few commonly used non-antibiotic drugs have recently been associated with changes in gut microbiome composition, but the extent of this phenomenon is unknown. Here, we screened more than 1,000 marketed drugs against 40 representative gut bacterial strains, and found that 24% of the drugs with human targets, including members of all therapeutic classes, inhibited the growth of at least one strain in vitro. Particular classes, such as the chemically diverse antipsychotics, were overrepresented in this group. The effects of human-targeted drugs on gut bacteria are reflected on their antibiotic-like side effects in humans and are concordant with existing human cohort studies. Susceptibility to antibiotics and human-targeted drugs correlates across bacterial species, suggesting common resistance mechanisms, which we verified for some drugs. The potential risk of non-antibiotics promoting antibiotic resistance warrants further exploration. Our results provide a resource for future research on drug-microbiome interactions, opening new paths for side effect control and drug repurposing, and broadening our view of antibiotic resistance.

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  • The human gut microbiome is influenced by diet and medication use.

    “The human gut microbiome is itself shaped by a wide variety of environmental exposures, including diet (8, 9) and medication use (10–13)”
  • Medication usage is a significant but minor contributor (R2 = 0.003) to microbial community composition.

    “Despite this, medication usage was a significant, albeit minor, contributor (R2 = 0.003) to microbial community composition, highlighting how xenobiotics can and do influence the gut microbiome (Jackson et al., 2018; Maier et al., 2018).”
  • In a study of more than 1,000 clinically used drugs tested against many human gut commensals, nearly one quarter had antibiotic-like side effects.

    “In a recent examination of over 1,000 clinically used drugs and their impact on a broad selection of human gut commensals, nearly a quarter demonstrated antibiotic-like side effects59.”
  • 24% of drugs with human targets across therapeutic classes inhibited the growth of at least one bacterial strain in vitro.

    “24% of the drugs with human targets across therapeutic classes inhibited the growth of at least one bacterial strain in vitro.”

    From Gut reactions: Breaking down xenobiotic–microbiome interactions (2019) · cites this paper as Maier et al., 2018

  • The Maier et al. screen largely focused on in vitro antibacterial activity of each drug against one representative bacterial strain per species, so implications for more complex bacterial communities need to be considered.

    “Although the study largely focused on the in vitro antibacterial activity of each drug screened against one representative bacterial strain per species, the implications for more complex bacterial communities need to be considered.”

    From Gut reactions: Breaking down xenobiotic–microbiome interactions (2019) · cites this paper as Maier et al., 2018

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Authors
Maier, L., Pruteanu, M., Kuhn, M., Zeller, G., Telzerow, A., Anderson, E. E., Brochado, A. R., Fernandez, K. C., Dose, H., Mori, H., Patil, K. R., Bork, P., & Typas, A.
Affiliations
  • European Molecular Biology Laboratory (DE)
  • Nara Institute of Science and Technology (JP)
Corresponding author
  • Zeller, Georg
  • Patil, Kiran Raosaheb
  • Typas, Athanasios
Venue
Nature
Published
2018-03-19
Volume
555
Issue
7698
Pages
623-628
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2792021903
Cited by
1,905
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 202 · 2025: 197 · 2024: 202 · 2023: 241 · 2022: 219 · 2021: 245 · 2020: 252 · 2019: 231 · 2018: 114
FWCI
74.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • MDC Repository (Max-Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (16H02485)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
Keywords
non-antibiotic drugs, gut microbiota, drug-microbiome interactions, antibiotic resistance, antipsychotic drugs, bacterial growth inhibition, commensal bacteria, adverse drug reactions, drug repurposing
MeSH terms
Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Bacteria, Drug Evaluation, Preclinical, Humans, Symbiosis, Antipsychotic Agents, Reproducibility of Results, Cohort Studies, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Microbial Viability, High-Throughput Screening Assays, In Vitro Techniques

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