Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Agnieszka Chlebicz-Wojcik, Katarzyna Slizewska
Summary: Irritable bowel syndrome is not life-threatening but significantly impacts quality of life and economic loss. Research focuses on the role of intestinal microbiota in disease development, with an emphasis on therapies modulating the microbiota such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. Most studies have focused on probiotics, but there are also promising results from studies on prebiotics and synbiotics.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nanami Hashikura, Ryuta Murakami, Takuma Sakurai, Ayako Horigome, Kazuya Toda, Jin-zhong Xiao, Toshitaka Odamaki
Summary: Probiotics and prebiotics have been found to have beneficial effects on host physiology through the metabolites produced by the gut microbiota. Using a pH-controlled single-batch fermenter as a model for the human gut microbiota, fecal fermentation was conducted with Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 (probiotic), lactulose (prebiotic), or a combination of both (synbiotic) to assess their influence on the gut environment. The results showed significant differences in the composition of gut microbiota and the relative abundance of certain bacteria among the treatment groups. Metabolite analysis revealed that the synbiotic group had the highest number of detected metabolites, with some specific metabolites enriched in this group. The findings suggest that synbiotics can enhance the production of signaling molecules in the gut environment.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Review
Biology
Shanmugaprakasham Selvamani, Vijay Mehta, Hesham Ali El Enshasy, Suganthi Thevarajoo, Hala El Adawi, Ibrahim Zeini, Khoa Pham, Theodoros Varzakas, Bassam Abomoelak
Summary: Probiotics, such as Lactobacillus spp., have a beneficial effect on the composition of the human gastrointestinal microflora and immune system, playing a crucial role in human health. Dysbiosis in the gastrointestinal microbial composition is a major factor in chronic inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Probiotic-based interventions, including the use of specific prebiotics, symbiotic and postbiotic products, have shown promise as therapeutic measures for IBD. This review discusses the association between gut dysbiosis, the pathogenesis of IBD, and risk factors leading to gut dysbiosis, as well as recent studies on the alteration of the gastrointestinal microbiome as an effective therapy for IBD. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other viral infections on IBD is also discussed.
SAUDI JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Orestis Ioannidis, Christos Chatzakis, Maria Tirta, Elissavet Anestiadou, Konstantinos Zapsalis, Savvas Symeonidis, Stefanos Bitsianis, Efstathios Kotidis, Manousos George Pramateftakis, Ioannis Mantzoros, Stamatios Angelopoulos
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on bowel function in patients who had undergone abdominal surgery. The study found that administration of probiotics reduced the occurrence of post-operative bowel dysfunction, shortened the time to first flatus and defecation, and reduced the prevalence of post-operative abdominal distension. The combination of probiotics and prebiotics also reduced the time to first flatus and hospitalization days.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hee-Young Jung, Jian-Na Cai, Sung Chul Yoo, Seon-Hwa Kim, Jae-Gyu Jeon, Dongyeop Kim
Summary: The combination of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus and prebiotic collagen peptide can modulate the virulence of cariogenic biofilm. The presence of this combination alters acid production and reduces exopolysaccharide in Streptococcus mutans biofilm. Additionally, collagen peptide inhibits S. mutans colonization and enhances the relative abundance of commensal streptococci.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Parisa Janmohammadi, Zeinab Nourmohammadi, Siavash Fazelian, Atieh Mirzababaei, Shahab Alizadeh, Mahtab Zarei, Elnaz Daneshzad, Kurosh Djafarian
Summary: Several studies have suggested that formulas containing synbiotics (composed of prebiotics and probiotics) may have a positive effect on anthropometric indices. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent. This meta-analysis found that the consumption of formulas containing synbiotics did not significantly affect the growth of healthy infants.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Neeraj K. Singh, Jeffrey M. Beckett, Krishnakumar Kalpurath, Muhammad Ishaq, Tauseef Ahmad, Rajaraman D. Eri
Summary: Chemotherapy is the primary treatment for cancer patients, but it often leads to complications. Restoring the gut microbiota through the use of probiotics is a potential approach to reduce chemotherapy-associated complications.
Article
Allergy
Sukyung Kim, Song-Yi Han, Jinyoung Lee, Na-Rae Kim, Bo Ra Lee, Hyunmi Kim, Mijeoung Kwon, Kangmo Ahn, Youngbae Noh, Sang Jong Kim, Phyrim Lee, Dongki Kim, Byung Eui Kim, Jihyun Kim
Summary: The combination therapy using Bifidobacterium longum and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) has been found to improve atopic dermatitis (AD) and increase the expression of epidermal barrier proteins.
ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xiao-Feng Zhang, Xiao-Xian Guan, Yu-Jun Tang, Jin-Feng Sun, Xiao-Kai Wang, Wei-Dong Wang, Jian-Ming Fan
Summary: The study found that probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics can induce/maintain IBD remission and reduce the disease activity index of UC. Probiotic supplements can increase beneficial bacteria (especially Bifidobacteria) in the gut of patients with IBD to some extent.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Joann Phan, Divya Nair, Suneer Jain, Thibaut Montagne, Demi Valeria Flores, Andre Nguyen, Summer Dietsche, Saurabh Gombar, Philip Cotter
Summary: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal discomfort and irregular bowel movements, with the gut microbiome posited to play a significant role. This study analyzed stool samples from individuals with IBS and without IBS and found differences in microbial features, with synbiotic supplementation showing potential to impact these features. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between microbiome changes and improvement in IBS symptoms.
Article
Immunology
Carlos Blazquez-Bondia, Mariona Parera, Francesc Catala-Moll, Maria Casadella, Aleix Elizalde-Torrent, Meritxell Aguilo, Jordi Espadaler-Mazo, Jose Ramon Santos, Roger Paredes, Marc Noguera-Julian
Summary: In a clinical trial, a synbiotic intervention was found to have a slight positive effect on immune reconstitution in HIV-1 infected immuno-discordant patients, with a small increase in CD4/CD8 ratio and minor reductions in sCD14. However, a probiotic intervention alone did not show any impact on immune parameters or faecal microbiome composition.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Flavia di Michele
Summary: This review summarizes the current evidence of nutraceutical supplementation in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, butyrate, palmitoylethanolamide, and colostrum. These compounds have multiple mechanisms of action and show good safety and tolerability profiles. Though further studies are needed to strengthen the evidence, supplementation with these compounds may be useful, especially for special populations of patients, and is more readily accepted by patients compared to pharmacological therapy.
CURRENT MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Loret Keulers, Ali Dehghani, Leon Knippels, Johan Garssen, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, Gert Folkerts, Saskia Braber, Jeroen van Bergenhenegouwen
Summary: Air pollution is a major public health issue, causing an estimated seven million deaths worldwide each year. The exposure to air pollutants, both outdoor and indoor, can lead to gastrointestinal and respiratory impairments and diseases. The gut and lung have a crosstalk called the gut-lung axis, which can be influenced by probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, ultimately affecting gut and lung health.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Ayako Watanabe, Yukine Teragaki, Yasuyuki Kitaura, Takumi Tochio
Summary: 1-kestose is the smallest component of fructooligosaccharides and has significant bifidogenic effects. However, there is a lack of in vivo studies on the synergistic effects of 1-kestose and Bifidobacterium longum in the gut. We demonstrate the synergistic impact of this combination in mice by using an appropriate monitoring regimen.
JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Ziran Zhao, Gui Xiao, Jieqiong Xia, Honghua Guo, Xiaoli Yang, Qian Jiang, Hu Wang, Jiaji Hu, Caihong Zhang
Summary: This meta-analysis examines the effects of interventions that alter gut microbes on anxiety and finds that probiotics and synbiotics can reduce anxiety scores, while the reduction in anxiety scores with prebiotics is not significant. However, due to small effect size and sample size, the clinical efficacy of these interventions in alleviating anxiety is uncertain. There is also no consensus on the optimal dose, treatment duration, treatment type, or probiotic strain in improving anxiety.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
