Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and it has become a public health concern worldwide. In addition to respiratory symptoms, some COVID‑19 patients also show various gastrointestinal symptoms and even consider gastrointestinal symptoms to be the first manifestation. A large amount of evidence has shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection could disrupt the gut microbiota balance, and disorders of the gut microbiota could aggravate the condition of COVID-19 patients. Therefore, maintaining the gut microbiota balance is expected to become a potential new therapeutic target for treating COVID-19. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has significant effects in all stages of the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. It can adjust the gut microbiota and is an ideal intestinal microecological regulator. This review summarizes the advantages and clinical efficacy of TCM in the treatment of COVID-19 and expounds on the relationship between TCM and the gut microbiota, the relationship between COVID-19 and the gut microbiota, the mechanism of gut microbiota disorders induced by SARS-CoV-2, the relationship between cytokine storms and the gut microbiota, and the role and mechanism of TCM in preventing and treating COVID-19 by regulating the gut microbiota to provide new research ideas for TCM in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Graphical Abstract ga1
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, Cytokine storm, COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019, SARS-CoV-2, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Traditional Chinese medicine, ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, gut microbiota, MERS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, IL, interleukin, WHO, World Health Organization, CRP, C-reactive protein, TNF, Tumor Necrosis Factor, ALT, alanine aminotransferase, AST, aspartate aminotransferase, CK, creatine kinase, LDH, lactate dehydrogenase, ESR, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, TMPRSS2, Transmembrane Protease Serine 2, TCM, traditional Chinese medicine, CNKI, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, VIP, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database(VIP), CBM, Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, ARDS, acute respiratory distress syndromes, MODS, multiple organ dysfunction syndromes, CK-MB, creatine kinase-myocardial band, BUN, blood urea nitrogen, Scr, serum creatinine, G-SCF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids,