Regulatory Potential of Food-Derived Bioactive Peptides on Gut Microbiota: A New Perspective against Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are characterized by chronic inflammation and frequent recurrence, and intervention strategies are urgently needed. Gut microbiota has been shown to play an active role in immune activation and regulation, with food-derived bioactive peptides (FDBPs) effectively improving the homeostasis of the gut microbiota. The potential role of FDBPs in IMIDs intervention is receiving more and more attention due to their ability to regulate gut microbiota. This review first addresses the way FDBPs regulate the gut microbiota, comprehensively summarizing the factors that affect its homeostasis and focusing on the interactions between gut microbiota and IMIDs through signaling pathways and the microbiota-gut-X axis. The review on the role of gut microbiota metabolites emphasizes the importance of FDBPs in regulating the gut microbiota and their potential for nutritional intervention in IMIDs. There can be direct and indirect between gut microbiota and IMIDs. Since FDBPs can regulate the gut microbiota through multiple pathways, dietary intervention, especially peptide diets as dietary supplements, seems to be a reliable strategy for the improvement and alleviation of IMIDs. In the future, we will focus on the structure and bioavailability of FDBPs, aiming to demonstrate, through this structure-function relationship, the different effects of the gut microbiota on IMIDs.