Dietary components and derivatives, including nutrients and some other functional components, are essential for the development and maintenance of human and animal health. Analysis of the literature reveals that the quality and quantity of these elements are key parameters which may result in a different functional output on host health. In the digestive tract, ingested components will be digested and absorbed by intestinal epithelial cells and exert various physiological functions.

Currently, interactions between diet, gut microbiota, and inflammation-related diseases raise much interest. Studies have shown that disruptions in the gut microbiota are highly associated with dietary perturbations, taking an average of 3.5 days for each diet-responsive bacterial group to reach a new steady-state after a dietary disturbance. However, the impact of dietary components and derivatives on gut microbiota diversity and composition needs further exploration. Additionally, the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining immune and metabolic homeostasis and protecting against pathogens. Thus, metabolism of dietary components, including protein, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins, are presumably governed, at least in part, by the gut microbiota and its signal to the host’s physiological, nutritional, and immunological processes. There is great interest in identifying the effects of dietary components and their derivatives on the gut microbiota and mechanisms of subsequent metabolic responses.

The goal of this special issue is, therefore, to collate state-of-the-art research focused on the effects of different sources, types, and levels of dietary functional components on the gut microbiota and host metabolism; and how those interactions affect organism homeostasis and inflammatory disease processes. We are particularly interested in studies which improve our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms of host metabolism in inflammation-related diseases and possible therapeutic interventions.

We welcome the submission of original research and review articles that narrow existing gaps in the knowledge.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Comparison of gut microbiota and host metabolic responses, to different nutrients and practice using functional components in controlling diseases by targeting gut microbiota/metabolism.
• Interactions between nutrients and functional components, gut microbiota, and the host metabolism.
• Identification and characterization of specific gut microorganisms (include bacteria, viruses, fungi) in response to small molecules (vitamins, small peptides, minerals, miRNA, etc.) and their therapeutics effects on hosts.
• Identification and characterization of signaling pathways in host tissues that are modulated by the crosstalk between nutrients and functional components, gut microbiome, and inflammation-related diseases.
• Possible therapeutic interventions using nutrients, dietary components and derivatives, for treating host metabolism dysfunctions and/or inflammatory diseases.