Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Gut Health

Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Gut Microbiome Modulation

• Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that benefit the gut microbiome.
• Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts.
• Modulation of the gut microbiota by dietary and therapeutic interventions is possible.
• Not all dietary approaches or therapeutic interventions are universally effective or beneficial.

Therapeutic Strategies for Gut Microbiota Modulation

• Prebiotics
• Probiotics
• Synbiotics (combination of prebiotics and probiotics)
• FMT (fecal microbiota transplantation)
• Phage therapy
• miRNA-based therapies

Selection Criteria for Probiotic Strains

• Human or animal origin from healthy individuals
• History of safe use
• Precise diagnostic identification (phenotype and genotype)
• Absence of adverse effects
• Absence of genes responsible for antibiotic resistance
• Competitiveness with respect to the existing microbiota
• Resistance to bile salts, enzymes, and low pH
• Antagonistic activity toward pathogens
• Adherence/colonization ability
• Viability and stability during processing and storage
• Resistance to bacteriophages

Probiotic Microorganisms

• Lactobacillus (e.g., acidophilus, casei, gasseri,)
• Bifidobacterium (e.g., adolescentis, animalis, bifidum)
• Other lactic acid bacteria (e.g., Enterococcus faecium, Lactococcus lactis)
• Other microorganisms (e.g., Bacillus clausii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Mechanisms of Beneficial Effects of Probiotics

• Antagonism through antimicrobial substances
• Competition with pathogens for nutrients
• Immunomodulation of the host
• Positive effects on metabolism
• Inhibition of bacterial toxin production

Probiotics and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

• Probiotics may lead to the remission of ulcerative colitis.
• Probiotics do not demonstrate efficacy in Crohn's disease.
• Probiotics may significantly improve symptoms in lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.

Probiotics and Cancer

• Animal studies suggest a potential reduction in colorectal cancer risk.
• Clinical trials have not confirmed these effects consistently.
• Probiotic use may alleviate gastrointestinal disorders in cancer patients.

Probiotics and Diarrhoea & Intestinal Infections

• Saccharomyces boulardii yeast may cure acute watery diarrhoea.
• Probiotics can improve nosocomial and non-nosocomial diarrhoeas.
• Probiotics may increase IgA antibodies, aiding in viral infection arrest.
• Probiotics (specifically Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and probiotic mixtures) can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.

Probiotics and Extraintestinal Infections

• Probiotics have a positive effect on vaginitis prevention.
• Probiotics can lead to a reduced number of respiratory infections.
• Probiotics may improve cystic fibrosis outcomes.
• Probiotics may help reduce nosocomial infections.

Probiotics and Metabolic Disorders

• Probiotics may reduce BMI, arterial blood pressure (BP), CRP levels.
• Probiotics improve lipid profiles and insulin sensitivity in obese patients.
• Probiotics may significantly reduce blood glucose, HbA1C, LDL, and total cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Probiotics and Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

• Probiotic administration to pregnant women and their infants may reduce eczema prevalence.
• Children with AD showed decreased severity and improved IFN-γ and IL-10 ratio with probiotics.

Probiotics and other conditions

• Studies show benefits from taking probiotics for several diseases like preventing diarrhoea, necrotising enterocolitis, ulcers, acute upper respiration. tract infections and eczema in children.
• Probiotics may improve parameters like CRP in patients with type 2 diabetes and other conditions

Prebiotics

• Prebiotics are non-digestible food components selectively feeding beneficial colonic microorganisms.
• Prebiotic selection criteria:
  • Resistance to digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT).
  • Fermentability by gut microbiota.
  • Beneficial effects on host health.
  • Selective stimulation of growth of probiotics.
  • Stability of processing conditions.

Common Prebiotics

• Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
• Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)
• Inulin
• Xylooligosaccharides (XOS)
• Lactitol
• Foods to get prebiotics: fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other edible plants

Fermentable Dietary Fibers

• Forms of inulin, oligofructose, FOS, or galacto oligosaccharides.
• Increase the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.
• Associated with increased short chain fatty acids (SCFAs).

Health Benefits of Prebiotics

• Prevention of carcinogenesis
• Reduced blood LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels
• Stimulation of immune system
• Increased calcium absorbability
• Maintenance of correct intestinal pH

Mechanisms of Prebiotic Effects

• Include modulation of hepatic lipogenic enzymes.
• Increased production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
• Modulation of histone acetylation and transcription factor availability.
• Modulation of mucin production.
• Increased count of lymphocytes or leukocytes in lymphoid tissues.

Synbiotics

• Synbiotics are combinations of prebiotics and probiotics to improve probiotic survival.
• Improve survival and proliferation of specific native bacterial strains.
• Enhance tolerance to environmental factors in the gut (e.g., oxygenation, pH, temperature).

Examples of Synbiotics

• Lactobacillus/Bifidobacterium combined with inulin, FOS, or GOS

Beneficial Effects of Synbiotics

• Increased Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium counts.
• Improved hepatic function (in cirrhosis).
• Enhanced immunomodulatory abilities.
• Reduced incidence of nosocomial infections.

Gut Microbiota-Associated Metabolites

• Metabolites are pivotal regulators in human diseases and may be therapeutic.
• Used in local inflammation and modulation of cardiometabolic, neurological disorders, and cancers. • Properties include natural bioavailability, high concentrations, and ease of administration.

Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)

• Exhibit anti-inflammatory properties.
• May reduce symptoms of brain-associated inflammatory encephalitis.
• Can attenuate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress response.

Other Novel Approaches

• MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial for homeostasis.
• Hyaluronan is an extracellular matrix component associated with IBD promotion/resolution.
• Nanomaterials may alter dysbiotic microorganisms or their metabolites.

Explore the fascinating world of prebiotics and probiotics, and how they influence the gut microbiome. This quiz covers various therapeutic strategies for microbiota modulation, the selection criteria for effective probiotic strains, and the impact of dietary interventions. Test your knowledge on these essential components of gut health!