Wang Z, Wang F. Microbiome-derived metabolites in cancer-associated anemia: An underexplored mechanistic link. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2025; 16(3): 110305 [DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i3.110305]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Feng Wang, MD, PhD, Professor, Senior Researcher, Senior Scientist, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 50 Eastern Jianshe Road, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. zzuwangfeng@zzu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Microbiology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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/
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. Sep 5, 2025; 16(3): 110305 Published online Sep 5, 2025. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i3.110305
Microbiome-derived metabolites in cancer-associated anemia: An underexplored mechanistic link
Zhe Wang, Feng Wang
Zhe Wang, Feng Wang, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Wang Z drafted the original manuscript. Wang F conceived and supervised the study, and made critical revisions for important intellectual content. Both authors participated in manuscript preparation and approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (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: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Feng Wang, MD, PhD, Professor, Senior Researcher, Senior Scientist, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 50 Eastern Jianshe Road, Zhengzhou 450052, Henan Province, China. zzuwangfeng@zzu.edu.cn
Received: June 4, 2025 Revised: June 9, 2025 Accepted: July 15, 2025 Published online: September 5, 2025 Processing time: 92 Days and 13.7 Hours
Abstract
The review by Bangolo et al highlights the role of the gut microbiome in cancer-associated anemia (CAA). However, the impact of microbiome-derived metabolites is underexplored. In this letter, we focus on short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan metabolites, and polyamines as key mediators linking dysbiosis to impaired erythropoiesis and iron homeostasis. We also propose a research framework that integrates multi-omics analysis and gnotobiotic models. Finally, we discuss the clinical potential of metabolite-based diagnostics and microbiome-targeted therapies in managing CAA.
Core Tip: Microbial metabolites—including short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan-derived ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor—modulate erythropoiesis and iron metabolism. This commentary underscores the need to integrate microbial metabolite biology into future research on cancer-associated anemia.
