Advances in study on gut flora metabolism of chlorogenic acid

Abstract

Most of the Chinese materia medica (CMM) come into the digestive tract in the form of oral administration. Chemical constituents of being difficult in intestinal absorption or having long retention time in the gastrointestinal tract are more easier to be affected by gut flora. Many microbes in the intestinal tract play an important role in the metabolism of CMM. As one of the main active ingredients in many CMM, chlorogenic acid is getting a growing attention, especially its metabolism. In the stomach and small intestine, only about a third of chlorogenic acid is absorbed; Large intestine, especially colon with rich flora is the main metabolic absorption site of chlorogenic acid. This article mainly reviews in vivo and in vitro studies on the gut flora metabolism of chlorogenic acid and summarizes corresponding metabolic products, in order to provide the reference for further study of in vivo activities of chlorogenic acid.