A Review of Gut Microbiota‐Derived Metabolites in Tumor Progression and Cancer Therapy

Gut microbiota‐derived metabolites are key hubs connecting the gut microbiome and cancer progression, primarily by remodeling the tumor microenvironment and regulating key signaling pathways in cancer cells and multiple immune cells. The use of microbial metabolites in radiotherapy and chemotherapy mitigates the severe side effects from treatment and improves the efficacy of treatment. Immunotherapy combined with microbial metabolites effectively activates the immune system to kill tumors and overcomes drug resistance. Consequently, various novel strategies have been developed to modulate microbial metabolites. Manipulation of genes involved in microbial metabolism using synthetic biology approaches directly affects levels of microbial metabolites, while fecal microbial transplantation and phage strategies affect levels of microbial metabolites by altering the composition of the microbiome. However, some microbial metabolites harbor paradoxical functions depending on the context (e.g., type of cancer). Furthermore, the metabolic effects of microorganisms on certain anticancer drugs such as irinotecan and gemcitabine, render the drugs ineffective or exacerbate their adverse effects. Therefore, a personalized and comprehensive consideration of the patient's condition is required when employing microbial metabolites to treat cancer. The purpose of this review is to summarize the correlation between gut microbiota‐derived metabolites and cancer, and to provide fresh ideas for future scientific research. Gut microbiome is a hot spot in tumor research. In recent years, remarkable progress has been achieved in the functions and application potential of gut‐microbiota‐derived metabolites. This review summarizes the relationship between gut microbiota‐derived metabolites and cancer from the perspectives of tumor progression and cancer therapy, and provides multiple novel strategies based on microbial metabolites.