Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (2): 501-508.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2026.02.021
• Reviews • Previous Articles Next Articles
LI Kexin1, YANG Jinzu2, XIAO Kunlin3, DUAN Shaojie4(
), XIAO Kunmin2(
)
Received:2024-12-25
Accepted:2025-06-20
Online:2026-04-15
Published:2026-04-04
Contact:
XIAO Kunmin, Department of Oncology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China. 20170931602@bucm.edu.cn;
DUAN Shaojie, Department of Geriatrics, Taizhou Central Hospital, Taizhou 318000, China. 1782802171@qq.com; Telephone: +86-18801020572
About author:LI Kexin and YANG Jinzu are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work
LI Kexin, YANG Jinzu, XIAO Kunlin, DUAN Shaojie, XIAO Kunmin. Tongue-coating microbiome as a predictor of solid tumors: an updated scoping review of clinical studies[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(2): 501-508.
Figure 2 Tongue coating microbiome and metabolic dysregulation in gastric and colorectal tumor progression DCD: dermcidin; KRT2: keratin 2; KRT9: keratin 9; IFN-γ: interferon-γ; IL-1α: interleukin-1α; IL-5: interleukin-5; IL-10: interleukin-10; IL-12: interleukin-12; IL-17α: interleukin-17α; IL-23P40: interleukin-23 subunit p40; TNF-β: tumor necrosis factor-β; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor. Red arrows denote disease progression, and black arrows indicate the release of cytokine or lipid release.
| 1. |
He C, Liao Q, Fu P, et al. Microbiological characteristics of different tongue coatings in adults. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22: 214.
DOI PMID |
| 2. |
Zhang Y, Zhao H, Guo Y, et al. Relationship between thick or greasy tongue-coating microbiota and tongue diagnosis in patients with primary liver cancer. Front Microbiol 2022; 13: 903616.
DOI URL |
| 3. | du Toit DF. The tongue: structure and function relevant to disease and oral health. SADJ 2003; 58: 375-76, 380-3. |
| 4. |
Bernardi S, Zeka K, Mummolo S, et al. Development of a new protocol: a macroscopic study of the tongue dorsal surface. Ital J Anat Embryol 2013; 118: 1.
DOI URL |
| 5. |
Seerangaiyan K, Juch F, Winkel E. Tongue coating: Its characteristics and role in intra-oral halitosis and general health: a review. J Breath Res 2017; 12: 034001.
DOI URL |
| 6. |
Liu M, Wang X, Wu F, et al. Variations of oral microbiome in chronic insomnia patients with different tongue features. Am J Chin Med 2020; 48: 923-44.
DOI URL |
| 7. |
Liu Q, Shi K, Bai Y, et al. Biology of tongue coating in different disease stages of RA and its value in disease progression. Microb Pathog 2024; 191: 106644.
DOI URL |
| 8. | Zhao Y, Gou XJ, Dai JY, et al. Differences in metabolites of different tongue coatings in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2013; 2013: 204908. |
| 9. |
Chen J, Sun Y, Li J, et al. In-depth metaproteomics analysis of tongue coating for gastric cancer: A multicenter diagnostic research study. Microbiome 2024; 12: 6.
DOI PMID |
| 10. |
Xu S, Xiang C, Wu J, et al. Tongue coating bacteria as a potential stable biomarker for gastric cancer independent of lifestyle. Dig Dis Sci 2021; 66: 2964-80.
DOI |
| 11. |
Xu J, Xiang C, Zhang C, et al. Microbial biomarkers of common tongue coatings in patients with gastric cancer. Microb Pathog 2019; 127: 97-105.
DOI URL |
| 12. |
Wu J, Xu S, Xiang C, et al. Tongue coating microbiota community and risk effect on gastric cancer. J Cancer 2018; 9: 4039-48.
DOI PMID |
| 13. | Hu J, Han S, Chen Y, et al. Variations of tongue coating microbiota in patients with gastric cancer. Biomed Res Int 2015; 2015: 173729. |
| 14. |
Chen Q, Lin F, Li W, et al. Distinctive lipid characteristics of colorectal cancer revealed through non-targeted lipidomics analysis of tongue coating. J Proteome Res 2024; 23: 2054-66.
DOI PMID |
| 15. |
Chen Q, Huang X, Zhang H, et al. Characterization of tongue coating microbiome from patients with colorectal cancer. J Oral Microbiol 2024; 16: 2344278.
DOI URL |
| 16. |
Han S, Chen Y, Hu J, et al. Tongue images and tongue coating microbiome in patients with colorectal cancer. Microb Pathog 2014; 77: 1-6.
DOI URL |
| 17. |
Ali Mohammed MM, Al Kawas S, Al-Qadhi G. Tongue-coating microbiome as a cancer predictor: a scoping review. Arch Oral Biol 2021; 132: 105271.
DOI URL |
| 18. |
Hao Y, Zhang R, Morris R, et al. Metabolome and microbiome alterations in tongue coating of gastric precancerous lesion patients. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021; 15: 949-63.
DOI URL |
| 19. | Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, et al. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and Meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med 2009; 6: b2535. |
| 20. |
Arksey H, O'Malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol 2005; 8: 19-32.
DOI URL |
| 21. |
Chen Y, Li C, Wang X, et al. Oral microbiota distinguishes patients with osteosarcoma from healthy controls. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14: 1383878.
DOI URL |
| 22. |
Cui J, Cui H, Yang M, et al. Tongue coating microbiome as a potential biomarker for gastritis including precancerous cascade. Protein Cell 2019; 10: 496-509.
DOI PMID |
| 23. |
He S, Sun Y, Sun W, et al. Oral microbiota disorder in GC patients revealed by 2b-RAD-M. J Transl Med 2023; 21: 831.
DOI PMID |
| 24. |
Lu H, Ren Z, Li A, et al. Tongue coating microbiome data distinguish patients with pancreatic head cancer from healthy controls. J Oral Microbiol 2019; 11: 1563409.
DOI URL |
| 25. |
Lu H, Ren Z, Li A, et al. Deep sequencing reveals microbiota dysbiosis of tongue coat in patients with liver carcinoma. Sci Rep 2016; 6: 33142.
DOI PMID |
| 26. |
Jiang Z, Wang J, Qian X, Zhang Z, Wang S. Oral microbiota may predict the presence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149: 4731-9.
DOI |
| 27. |
Xiao P, Hua Z, Kang X, et al. Influence of oral intaking habit on tongue coating microbiota in patients with esophageal precancerous lesions. J Cancer 2022; 13: 1168-80.
DOI PMID |
| 28. |
Jain V, Baraniya D, El-Hadedy DE, et al. Integrative metatranscriptomic analysis reveals disease-specific microbiome-host interactions in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Res Commun 2023; 3: 807-20.
DOI URL |
| 29. |
Gordon DF Jr, Gibbons RJ. Studies of the predominant cultivable micro-organisms from the human tongue. Arch Oral Biol 1966; 11: 627-32.
PMID |
| 30. |
Yokoi A, Maruyama T, Yamanaka R, et al. Relationship between acetaldehyde concentration in mouth air and tongue coating volume. J Appl Oral Sci 2015; 23: 64-70.
DOI PMID |
| 31. |
Jo R, Nishimoto Y, Umezawa K, et al. Comparison of oral microbiome profiles in stimulated and unstimulated saliva, tongue, and mouth-rinsed water. Sci Rep 2019; 9: 16124.
DOI PMID |
| 32. |
Guo XJ, Jiang T, Ma XX, et al. Relationships between diurnal changes of tongue coating microbiota and intestinal microbiota. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12: 813790.
DOI URL |
| 33. |
Zeng X, Jin H, Wang C, et al. Establishment of a standard tongue coating collection method for microbiome studies. Biopreserv Biobank 2023; 21: 599-609.
DOI PMID |
| 34. |
Browne HP, Forster SC, Anonye BO, et al. Culturing of 'unculturable' human microbiota reveals novel taxa and extensive sporulation. Nature 2016; 533: 543-6.
DOI |
| 35. |
Forster SC, Kumar N, Anonye BO, et al. A human gut bacterial genome and culture collection for improved metagenomic analyses. Nat Biotechnol 2019; 37: 186-92.
DOI PMID |
| 36. |
Chen Z, Trivedi HM, Chhun N, et al. Using DGGE and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis to evaluate changes in oral bacterial composition. Chin J Dent Res 2011; 14: 95-103.
PMID |
| 37. |
Sano H, Wakui A, Kawachi M, et al. Profiling system of oral microbiota utilizing polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. J Oral Biosci 2021; 63: 292-97.
DOI PMID |
| 38. | Henriques AC, De Marco P. Simple protocol for molecular fingerprinting of human oral microbiota samples in lab classes. J Microbiol Biol Educ 2018; 19: 19.1.1. |
| 39. |
Huang Y, Sheth RU, Zhao S, et al. High-throughput microbial culturomics using automation and machine learning. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41: 1424-33.
DOI PMID |
| 40. |
Wang X, Howe S, Deng F, Zhao J. Current applications of absolute bacterial quantification in microbiome studies and decision-making regarding different biological questions. Microorganisms 2021; 9: 1797.
DOI URL |
| 41. |
Galazzo G, van Best N, Benedikter BJ, et al. How to count our microbes? The effect of different quantitative microbiome profiling approaches. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10: 403.
DOI URL |
| 42. | Zhang J, Su L, Wang Y, Deng S. Improved high-throughput sequencing of the human oral microbiome: from illumina to PacBio. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2020; 2020: 6678872. |
| 43. |
Li Y, Cui J, Liu Y, Chen K, Huang L, Liu Y. Oral, tongue-coating microbiota, and metabolic disorders: a novel area of interactive research. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8: 730203.
DOI URL |
| 44. |
Vieira AT, Castelo PM, Ribeiro DA, Ferreira CM. Influence of oral and gut microbiota in the health of menopausal women. Front Microbiol 2017; 8: 1884.
DOI PMID |
| 45. | Segata N, Haake SK, Mannon P, et al. Composition of the adult digestive tract bacterial microbiome based on seven mouth surfaces, tonsils, throat and stool samples. Genome Biol 2012; 13: R42. |
| 46. |
Pandey H, Tang DWT, Wong SH, Lal D. Gut microbiota in colorectal cancer: biological role and therapeutic opportunities. Cancers 2023; 15: 866.
DOI URL |
| 47. |
Camañes-Gonzalvo S, Montiel-Company JM, Lobo-de-Mena M, et al. Relationship between oral microbiota and colorectal cancer: a systematic review. J Periodontal Res 2024; 59: 1071-82.
DOI PMID |
| 48. |
Koliarakis I, Messaritakis I, Nikolouzakis TK, Hamilos G, Souglakos J, Tsiaoussis J. Oral bacteria and intestinal dysbiosis in colorectal cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20: 4146.
DOI URL |
| 49. |
Parhi L, Alon-Maimon T, Sol A, et al. Breast cancer colonization by Fusobacterium nucleatum accelerates tumor growth and metastatic progression. Nat Commun 2020; 11: 3259.
DOI PMID |
| 50. |
Abed J, Emgård JE, Zamir G, et al. Fap2 mediates Fusobacterium nucleatum colorectal adenocarcinoma enrichment by binding to tumor-expressed Gal-GalNAc. Cell Host Microbe 2016; 20: 215-25.
DOI PMID |
| 51. |
Abe K, Fujita M, Hayashi M, Okai K, Takahashi A, Ohira H. Gut and oral microbiota in autoimmune liver disease. Fukushima J Med Sci 2020; 65: 71-5.
DOI PMID |
| 52. |
Kunath BJ, De Rudder C, Laczny CC, Letellier E, Wilmes P. The oral-gut microbiome axis in health and disease. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22: 791-805.
DOI |
| 53. |
Agus A, Clément K, Sokol H. Gut microbiota-derived metabolites as central regulators in metabolic disorders. Gut 2021; 70: 1174-82.
DOI PMID |
| [1] | WANG Xuehui, SUN Yuxin, Birling Yoann, LI Xun, ZHAO Ruotong, ZHENG Youyou, SONG Zhenmei, ZHANG Yanli, DU Hongbo, WANG Jianyun, LI Yinqing, LIU Zhaolan, LIU Jianping. A Meta-analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine constitution distribution in people with functional constipation [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(2): 261-273. |
| [2] | Masoumeh Amiri, Mozafar Khazaei, Tayebeh Sadat Tabatabai, Leila Rezakhani. Therapeutic potential of garlic-derived exosome like nanovesicles: challenge and opportunity [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(2): 509-516. |
| [3] | LIN Lixia, LI Xin, LI Ling, YANG Pu, LU Liming, LIU Buping, SU Shengyong. Multiple acupuncture and moxibustion therapies for allergic rhinitis in adults: a network Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(1): 1-13. |
| [4] | YANG Wu, LI Yinghui, LIAO Heng, XIONG Shangbin. Molecular landscape of Berberine's therapeutic potential in gastrointestinal disorders [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2026, 46(1): 245-256. |
| [5] | Hyungsun Jun, Nahyun Cho, Wonbae Ha, Junghan Lee, Mi Mi Ko, Young-Eun Kim, Jeeyoun Jung, Jungtae Leem. Key elements for screening kidney deficiency pattern in Traditional Chinese and Korean Medicine: a systematic review and Delphi study [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(6): 1169-1177. |
| [6] | WANG Ci, CAO Yawen, WANG Jiaying, CHEN Jixin, MA Xue, WANG Xianliang, MAO Jingyuan. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for arrythmias: an overview of systematic reviews and Meta-analyses [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(6): 1178-1190. |
| [7] | KONG Lingyao, ZHANG Xiaowen, WANG Xuehui, WANG Zhijie, Robinson Nicola, LIU Jianping. Moxibustion for human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and its complications: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(6): 1201-1214. |
| [8] | ZHANG Gedi, WEN Xiaoli, TAO Tianming, YAN Ziyou, LIU Hongning. Exploration of constructing a relatively comprehensive syndrome differentiation and treatment system based on dialectical materialism principles [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(5): 1164-1168. |
| [9] | JIANG Jinglei, YU Tao, QIAN Yulin, WANG Meng. Understanding the role of microglia in Alzheimer's disease: insights into mechanisms, acupuncture, and potential therapeutic targets [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(4): 922-936. |
| [10] | WANG Yiying, DONG Shuai, LI Bo, HAN Mei, CAO Huijuan. Update evidence of effectiveness on pain relieving of cupping therapy: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(2): 234-253. |
| [11] | ZHANG Dingshan, CHEN Li, MARYAM Mazhar, XUE Jinyi, LIU Ping, LIU Mengnan. Application of promoting blood circulation and resolving blood stasis in intracerebral hemorrhage: a traditional method gradually being reconsidered [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025, 45(2): 458-472. |
| [12] | DONG Yingying, GUO Qin, GAO Yuan, WANG Huanhuan, BAI Dong. Revealing the scientific connotation of compatibility of Chinese medicine medica based on self-assembly technology [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 44(6): 1288-1295. |
| [13] | XI Hanqing, LI Xia, ZHANG Ziyi, CUI Xiang, JING Xianghong, ZHU Bing, GAO Xinyan. Neuro- and immuno-modulation mediated by the cardiac sympathetic nerve: a novel insight into the anti-ischemic efficacy of acupuncture [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 44(5): 1058-1066. |
| [14] | XU Yingshan, WU Chunxiao, YU Wei, GUO Hongji, LU Liming, XU Nenggui, TANG Chunzhi. Systematic review and Meta-analysis of brain plasticity associated with electroacupuncture in experimental ischemic stroke [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 44(5): 859-870. |
| [15] | DENG Yasheng, HAN Siyin, XI Lanhua, HUANG Hui, LIANG Tianwei, ZHENG Yiqing, FAN Yanping, LIN Jiang. Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children: an overview of systematic reviews and Meta-analyses [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2024, 44(5): 871-884. |
| Viewed | ||||||
|
Full text |
|
|||||
|
Abstract |
|
|||||
Sponsored by China Association of Chinese Medicine
& China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
16 Nanxiaojie, Dongzhimen Nei, Beijing, China. 100700 Email: jtcmen@126.com
Copyright 2020 Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. All rights reserved.
