Probiotics, gut microbiota, and their influence on host health and disease

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract of mammals hosts a high and diverse number of different microorganisms, known as intestinal microbiota. Many probiotics were originally isolated from the gastrointestinal tract, and they were defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/WHO as "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host." Probiotics exert their beneficial effects on the host through four main mechanisms: interference with potential pathogens, improvement of barrier function, immunomodulation and production of neurotransmitters, and their host targets vary from the resident microbiota to cellular components of the gut-brain axis. However, in spite of the wide array of beneficial mechanisms deployed by probiotic bacteria, relatively few effects have been supported by clinical data. In this regard, different probiotic strains have been effective in antibiotic-associated diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease for instance. The aim of this review was to compile the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of probiotics, mainly through their interaction with the intestinal microbiota and with the intestinal mucosa. The specific benefits discussed in this paper include among others those elicited directly through dietary modulation of the human gut microbiota.

Bifidobacterium Bacteremia: Clinical Characteristics and a Genomic Approach To Assess Pathogenicity

“…lactis and, to some extent, B. longum are the most common Bifidobacterium species included in functional food products. Despite their proposed health-promoting effects (22), antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence factors in commensals are of great concern, as commensals can serve as a reservoir of resistance genes for intestinal pathogens and have the ability to cause disease on their own (23). However, there is no experimental evidence for the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from bifidobacteria to other pathogens (24).…”

Probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens C-1 Improves Growth Performance, Stimulates GH/IGF-1, and Regulates the Gut Microbiota of Growth-Retarded Beef Calves

“…Probiotics are used as a safe alternative to antibiotics to rebalance the intestinal flora and are supplemented in the diet to prevent diseases, improve inflammation and digestion and promote growth (Marques-Lopes et al, 2001; Riggs et al, 2006; Ford et al, 2014; Kalil and Schooneveld, 2014). The mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects on the host have been verified and involved interference with potential pathogens, improvement of barrier function, immunomodulation and production of neurotransmitters (Sánchez et al, 2016). Currently, lactic acid bacteria and Bacillus subtilis are used as feed additives to improve growth performance and immune function in some animals.…”

Micro Integral Membrane Protein (MIMP), a Newly Discovered Anti-Inflammatory Protein of Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enhances the Gut Barrier and Modulates Microbiota and Inflammatory Cytokines

“…Numerous studies have proposed that probiotics improve the clinical outcome of IBD patients through influencing host microbiota [33]. Herein, we performed pyrosequencing analysis to investigate whether MIMP can improve the gut dysbiosis in the colitis model.…”