Huang HJ, Liu PP, Dong DF. Research progress on comorbidity between gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases from the perspective of the gut-lung axis. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(11): 115846 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i11.115846]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hao-Jun Huang, School of Nursing, Yanbian University, No. 977 Gongyuan Road, Yanji 133000, Jilin Province, China. hy86382211@163.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 21, 2026 (publication date) through Mar 17, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastroenterology
ISSN
1007-9327
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Huang HJ, Liu PP, Dong DF. Research progress on comorbidity between gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases from the perspective of the gut-lung axis. World J Gastroenterol 2026; 32(11): 115846 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i11.115846]
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 21, 2026; 32(11): 115846 Published online Mar 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i11.115846
Research progress on comorbidity between gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases from the perspective of the gut-lung axis
Hao-Jun Huang, Pan-Pan Liu, De-Feng Dong
Hao-Jun Huang, School of Nursing, Yanbian University, Yanji 133000, Jilin Province, China
Pan-Pan Liu, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai Pudong New Area Gongli Hospital, Shanghai 200315, China
De-Feng Dong, School of Graduate Education, Shandong Sport University, Jinan 250102, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Hao-Jun Huang and Pan-Pan Liu.
Author contributions: Huang HJ and Liu PP contributed equally to this work as co-first authors of this manuscript; Huang HJ, Liu PP and Dong DF contributed to writing the original draft; Huang HJ contributed to supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, reviewing, editing, and conceptualization; All authors approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Hao-Jun Huang, School of Nursing, Yanbian University, No. 977 Gongyuan Road, Yanji 133000, Jilin Province, China. hy86382211@163.com
Received: October 27, 2025 Revised: December 2, 2025 Accepted: January 14, 2026 Published online: March 21, 2026 Processing time: 140 Days and 17.5 Hours
Abstract
The coexistence of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases is a widespread phenomenon, featuring complex bidirectional interactions that seriously threaten human health and increase the difficulty of clinical management. The gut-lung axis is an emerging field in the study of organ-organ interactions in recent years, revealing the complex bidirectional regulatory network between gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. The potential mechanisms of comorbidities of gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases involve multiple interactions. This article systematically reviewed the significant role of the gut-lung axis in comorbidities of gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases and discussed key dimensions such as the bidirectional regulatory mechanism of the gut-lung axis, the pathophysiological basis of comorbidities of gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases, the clinical types of comorbidities, and intervention strategies. This has significant clinical translational value for optimizing the stratified management of complications of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases and reducing the risk of acute exacerbation.
Core Tip: The gut-lung axis represents a bidirectional communication network that links the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems through microbial, immune, and metabolic pathways. This review synthesized recent advances in understanding how gut dysbiosis, microbial translocation, immune dysregulation, and epigenetic modifications contribute to gastrointestinal-pulmonary comorbidities. We highlighted key clinical phenotypes and explored emerging therapeutic strategies, including microbiota-targeted interventions, metabolite supplementation, and immune modulation. Future efforts should emphasize multi-omics integration, organoid-based models, and artificial intelligence-driven predictive analytics to advance precision medicine anchored in the gut-lung axis.
