The mycobiota, the fungal component of the microbiome, is attracting increasing attention for its impact on human health. Although it accounts for only 0.1% of the microbial population, it exerts a significant influence on the body’s balance.
Thanks to the most advanced sequencing techniques, it is now possible to characterize with ever greater precision the microbial communities present in the different niches of the human body. Indeed, the mycobiota varies according to its location: the gut, skin, reproductive system, and other niches have distinct profiles, each with specific functions and implications. Understanding these and knowing how microorganisms interact with each other and with the host is crucial to developing increasingly competent personalized care approaches. It is now evident that fungal metabolism, alongside bacterial metabolism, plays an important role in health and disease.
In this article you will find an overview of the state of the art of scientific research on the gut mycobiota, how it is possible to intervene to maintain its balance, and the new strategies arising from research that open the way to the creation of effective products.
Mycobiota: Where Does Scientific Research Stand?
So far, research has focused mainly on the bacterial component, thanks to technologies that make it possible to sequence entire genomes and monitor conditions of balance or dysbiosis. This has opened new pathways leading to increasingly personalized approaches in precision medicine.
In contrast, research on fungi is still in its early stages. Only in recent years has scientific investigation of the mycobiota begun to deepen, and many areas of expertise remain to be developed. In fact, exhaustive databases for sequencing do not yet exist, nor are there technologies capable of distinguishing the DNA of viable fungi belonging to the microbiome from that deriving from food (for example, yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae).
Despite these difficulties, it has been possible to identify the most common genera that make up the gut mycobiota. Among these are Saccharomyces, Candida, Malassezia, Cyberlindnera, Penicillium, Cladosporium and Aspergillus. Of these, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida spp. are the most abundant.
Candida between balance and pathology
The presence of Candida spp. is physiological: under healthy conditions it coexists without problems with other microorganisms. However, in cases of immunosuppression and dysbiosis, it can overgrow and worsen conditions such as chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, liver diseases, and neurological disorders. This evidence underscores the importance of the microbiome’s role in the gut-brain axis.
A particularly relevant aspect concerns women’s health: the gut microbiota can directly influence the vaginal microbiota, both due to anatomical proximity and through changes induced by diet, lifestyle, and the use of antibiotics or antifungals. Not surprisingly, vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of the most common clinical conditions associated with Candida albicans. For a specific in-depth discussion, read this article.
Innovative strategies for mycobiota balance
The misuse of antimicrobials in recent years has favored the spread of drug-resistant strains. This has led to a strong demand for new alternative solutions. Among these, nutraceuticals represent a rapidly growing sector. Many botanicals, probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics are entering the market, all aimed at supporting microbiota balance.
The main goal of microbiota modulation is to help the body restore an equilibrium that is unique and unrepeatable for each individual. Probiotics and postbiotics are widely studied, although their efficacy is not yet fully agreed upon by the scientific community. The same applies to prebiotics, which in some cases can worsen symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain.
A particularly promising sector is that of botanicals. Essential oils, in particular, have a multitarget antimicrobial action, making them natural and effective products for microbiome modulation. They are complex secondary metabolites produced by plants precisely to defend and balance their own microbiota. These properties can also be transferred to human health.
TGD research: focus on mycobiota
Our research group has been exploring the potential of essential oils for years. Among these, it has identified the main components of clove and cinnamon oils, eugenol and cinnamaldehyde. These molecules have synergistic antimicrobial effects on different strains of Candida without any effect on Lactobacilli, among the main protective strains of microbiota balance thanks to their ability to produce short-chain fatty acids.
From these results, Clovedin® was developed, a patented ingredient designed to selectively modulate the gut and vaginal mycobiota in cases of Candida overgrowth. Its targeted action makes it ideal for the formulation of innovative nutraceuticals, with a specific focus on women’s health and microbiota balance.
Conclusions
The study of the mycobiota is only at the beginning, and it is still necessary to develop effective diagnostic techniques to thoroughly observe its composition and the interactions of microorganisms with other components of the microbiota and with the host. It is already known that, although it represents just 0.1% of the entire microbiome, it can decisively influence health. The genus Candida, in particular, is one of the major components and represents a crucial target both for the gut-brain axis and for women’s health.
In today’s scenario, to counter the emergence of drug-resistant strains, the demand for alternative strategies that do not alter the protective component of the microbiota has increased. With Clovedin®, TGD offers an innovative contribution to this new chapter of research, opening concrete prospects for the development of next-generation dietary supplements.
- El Jaddaoui, I.; Sehli, S.; Al Idrissi, N.; Bakri, Y.; Belyamani, L.; Ghazal, H. The Gut Mycobiome for Precision Medicine. J. Fungi 2025, 11, 279. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11040279
- Huang, H., Wang, Q., Yang, Y., Zhong, W., He, F., & Li, J. (2024). The mycobiome as integral part of the gut microbiome: crucial role of symbiotic fungi in health and disease. Gut Microbes, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2024.2440111
- Saracino, I.M.; Foschi, C.; Pavoni, M.; Spigarelli, R.; Valerii, M.C.; Spisni, E. Antifungal Activity of Natural Compounds vs. Candida spp.: A Mixture of Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol Shows Promising In Vitro Results. Antibiotics 2022, 11, 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11010073
