Probiotic Strategies for Treating Gastrointestinal Disorders

Constipation is a common gastrointestinal condition, which may occur at any age and affects countless people. The search for new treatments for constipation is ongoing as current drug treatments fail to provide fully satisfactory results. In recent years, probiotics have attracted much attention because of their demonstrated therapeutic efficacy and fewer side effects than pharmaceutical products. Many studies attempted to answer the question of how probiotics can alleviate constipation. It has been shown that different probiotic strains can alleviate constipation by different mechanisms. The mechanisms on probiotics in relieving constipation were associated with various aspects, including regulation of the gut microbiota composition, the level of short-chain fatty acids, aquaporin expression levels, neurotransmitters and hormone levels, inflammation, the intestinal environmental metabolic status, neurotrophic factor levels and the body's antioxidant levels. This paper summarizes the perception of the mechanisms on probiotics in relieving constipation and provides some suggestions on... Read More

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Recently, the mounting integration of probiotics into human health strategies has gathered considerable attention. Although the benefits of probiotics have been widely recognized in patients with gastrointestinal disorders, immune system modulation, and chronic-degenerative diseases, there is a growing need to evaluate their potential risks. In this context, new concerns have arisen regarding the safety of probiotics as some strains may have adverse effects in humans. Among these strains,

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Probiotics therapy has garnered significant attention in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, a large number of oral administrated probiotics are inactivated after passing through the gastric acid environment, and their ability to colonize in the intestine is also weak. Herein, this study develops a novel probiotics formulation (GM-EcN) by incorporating

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Background/Objectives: Gastrointestinal functional disorders (GFDs), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), are imbalances in the gut–brain axis characterized by persistence of symptoms in the abdominal area. Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide benefits to the health of their hosts when administered in adequate amounts, while prebiotics are a substrate that is selectively used by host microorganisms. This narrative review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of prebiotics and probiotics mostly in irritable bowel syndrome, particularly on issues such as the interaction between these products and the gut microbiota, the duration of supplementation and long-term effects, the definition of ideal dosages, and the regulation and quality control of these products. Methods: A bibliographic search was carried out in indexed databases and articles published within 10 years before the beginning of the study and publications in English language, which investigated the specific theme of the study were considered. Papers dealing with topics not covered by the research questions, or p... Read More

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: Current treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are relatively futile and the extended use of drugs may reduce effectiveness. Several probiotic strains have shown promise in relieving/treating IBD symptoms.

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Gastrointestinal disorders manifest through disruptions in gastrointestinal functionality accompanied by dysbiosis within the microbiome. Probiotics are considered biological agents with potential therapeutic efficacy in managing gastrointestinal pathologies by modulating the gut microbiota. Nevertheless, several hurdles, such as safety considerations, resilience to stressors, post-colonization quantifications, and evaluative modalities, may impede the adoption of probiotics for gastrointestinal disorders. Herein, we performed online research using 6 databases: Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Ovid. Inclusion criteria were mostly articles published in the years 2015-2024, concerning the association between probiotics and gastrointestinal diseases. This review aimed to provide comprehensive data regarding the latest studies in this area. Additionally, this review delineates the various aspects of probiotic use, including both the positive and negative aspects, as well as the role of probiotics in immune system modulation and the prevention of variou... Read More

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Chronic constipation is a multi-symptomatic, multifactorial, and heterogeneous gastrointestinal disorder. Current pharmacological treatments for chronic constipation are limited and might negatively impact the patients' quality of life. Although probiotics have been shown to improve constipation symptoms, their specific regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. This study sought to explore how probiotic complexes may affect chronic constipation by improving patients' defecation habits. Furthermore, microbial profiles and non-targeted metabolites were assessed to explore the metabolic pathways involved in the improvement of constipation by probiotics. Patients with chronic constipation were treated using a single-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial design. The experimental group was administered Lactobacillus powder prepared from 15 probiotic products, and maltodextrin was used as a placebo. Samples were collected twice daily for 4 weeks, and faecal samples were analysed using 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolic histology. Probiotic treatment changed the makeup of the gut... Read More

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Ulcerative colitis (UC), a common gastrointestinal disorder in affluent nations, involves chronic intestinal mucosal inflammation. This research investigated the effects of combined probiotic treatment of

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Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders might benefit from probiotic supplementation to resolve their bowel symptoms and enhance their quality of life (QoL). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of oral probiotic supplementation on improving QoL. Relevant studies were systematically searched in online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, and Google Scholar up to September 2022 using relevant keywords. Studies that were conducted on GI patients and presented QoL outcomes were included. The Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Intervention tool were used to assess the risk of bias. Of the 4,555 results found in the systematic search of databases, only 36 studies were eligible for evaluation. According to this systematic review, 24 studies reported improvements, whereas 12 studies reported no improvements on QoL in GI patients supplemented with probiotics. We found that probiotics may improve the QoL of patients with GI diseases and related metabolic complications. Therefore, probiotics can be a us... Read More

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Treatment with probiotics can help manage chronic constipation by softening the stools and possibly acting synergistically with front-line treatments. We assessed the efficacy of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BLa80 in maltodextrin as a food supplement in regulating the intestinal habit of subjects with chronic constipation with type 1 or 2 stools on the Bristol scale index and/or less than three stools per week. A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in subjects aged 18 and over with chronic constipation. The study enrolled forty-six subjects who were randomised one-to-one to receive the potential probiotic in maltodextrin (n = 23) or a placebo (n = 23). Investigators assessed changes in intestinal habits by analysing the mean number of weekly stools and the stool types according to the Bristol Scale. Patients reported constipation symptoms with PAC-SYM (patient assessment of constipation - symptoms), and the impact on quality of life with PAC-QoL (patient assessment of constipation - quality of life) and GI-QLI (gastrointe... Read More

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Gut health is widely seen as a critical component of general well-being, affected in large part by the gut microbiome, a complex collection of bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal system. Probiotics, which are live bacteria that provide health benefits when taken in suitable doses, are essential for maintaining and improving gut health. This review looks at how probiotics work, including how they modulate gut microbiota, improve intestinal barrier function, and reduce inflammation. The evidence for the advantages of probiotics in various gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, is discussed. The paper also discusses problems in probiotic therapy, such as strain-specific effects and optimal dose. Overall, probiotics show great potential in both preventing and treating gastrointestinal illnesses, but more study is needed to enhance treatment methods and better understand individual responses.

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The gastrointestinal tracts are hosts to a wide variety of microorganisms known as intestinal microbiota. This gut microbiome may get disrupted that will influence the human health. Probiotics can restore the balance of gut microbiota by changing its composition and promoting its stability. Objective: This review aims to compile the role of probiotics in maintaining gastrointestinal health based on evidence-based through the modulation of the human gut microbiome. Method: This article is structured based on a literature review method by collecting and reviewing papers published in PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Google Scholar. Results: The administration of probiotics have successfully shown evidenced beneficial health effects to prevent or treat for several main these several diseases including diarrhea, lactose intolerance and intestinal bowel diseases. Conclusion: Probiotics have been demonstrated to play key functions in the digestive system and to considerably reduce the symptoms of a variety of illnesses.

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Irritable bowel syndrome is a persistent disturbance of the function of the gastrointestinal tract with a prevalence of about 11.2% in the population at large. While the etiology of the disorder remains unclear, there is mounting evidence that the disturbance of the gut microbiota is at least one contributing factor. This insight resulted in clinical trials investigating the therapeutic effects of products containing probiotic microorganisms. Most studies with IBS patients have evaluated the therapeutic effects of mono- and multi-strain probiotics, but only a few studies have investigated the efficacy of synbiotics (combinations of probiotic bacteria and one or more prebiotic components). This review summarizes the results from eight randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that investigated the efficacy of synbiotic preparations (three mono-strain and five multi-strain products) in adult IBS patients. While data remain sparse, some of the surveyed clinical trials have demonstrated interesting efficacy results in IBS patients. To allow a judgment of the role played by synbiotic... Read More

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Probiotics play a key role in restoring the normal gut microbiota and improves the gastrointestinal function. Generally, probiotics are pondered to be dietary factors which have an impact on the gut microbiota and to have a monitoring effect on the intestinal flora. The gut-liver axis has a pivotal role in the liver disease pathophysiology. Immunonutrition uses nutritional interventions to produce health-related effects beyond the primary nutrient value and regulate the neuroendocrine immunoinflammatory responses. Few studies are favouring the use of probiotics and immunonutrition in gastrointestinal disease. Still not much evidence-based guidelines pertaining to the uses of immunonutrition and probiotics are available. This article will provide an overview of the current practices and guidelines in the use of probiotics and immunonutrients in gastrointestinal diseases. Keywords Probiotics, Immunonutrition, Gut­liver axis, Gut microbiota, Sarcopenia

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal (GI) condition, and changes in the gut microbiota's composition contribute to the development of symptoms. Although the precise mechanisms of probiotic use in the human body are not fully understood, probiotic supplements are believed to reduce symptoms, such as abdominal pain, by regulating neurotransmitters and receptors associated with pain modulation in IBS patients compared to placebo by altering the gut flora. This systematic review aimed to assess the most current randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on how probiotic supplementation affects the symptoms in people with IBS. The effects of probiotic supplements on IBS symptoms were studied in RCTs published between January 2018 and June 2023. After a search through PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords probiotics, gut microbiota, irritable bowel syndrome, and IBS; eight articles matched the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Four trials used a multistrain probiotic, whereas the remaining four trials examined the effects of a monostrain supplement. Al... Read More

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As our understanding of the intricate interaction between gut bacteria and human health continues to expand, so too has interest in the ability of probiotics to manage gut microbiota and confer multiple health benefits to the host. The mini literature review focuses on the expanding potential of the use of probiotics in GI health, with a focus on probiotics' potential therapeutic advantages in a variety of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses. Probiotics play a significant role in managing diarrhea and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) by modulating gut microbial communities. Specific probiotic strains have been found to reduce the abundance of harmful bacteria, regulate inflammatory markers like interleukin 6, and improve GI symptoms such as abdominal discomfort and stool consistency. Additionally, probiotic blends have shown potential for preventing GI infections and alleviating GI pain in IBS-D patients. Studies have demonstrated that certain multi-strain probiotics, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species, can significantly increase the frequency o... Read More

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The article presents literature data on the relationship of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with its microbiota in acute intestinal infections, as well as information on various beneficial properties of the probiotic microorganism Lactobacillus reuteri, including antagonistic effects on pathogenic and opportunistic pathogens, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. The clinical and laboratory effectiveness of the use of a probiotic containing the Lactobacillus reuteri B-9448 strain in children with acute infectious gastroenteritis hospitalized. It was found that patients who received this probiotic in complex therapy spent significantly fewer bed days in the hospital compared to children who were not prescribed probiotic. At the same time, no undesirable side effects were registered in the group of patients treated with Lactobacillus reuteri B-9448, which indicates its safety.

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The complex role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders is an emerging area of research, and there is considerable interest in understanding how diet can alter the composition and function of the microbiome. Prebiotics and probiotics have been shown to beneficially modulate the gut microbiome, which underlies their potential for benefit in GI conditions. Formulating specific recommendations for the public regarding these dietary supplements has been difficult due to the significant heterogeneity between strains, doses, and duration of treatment investigated across studies, as well as safety concerns with administering live organisms. This review aims to summarize the existing evidence for the use of prebiotics and probiotics in various GI disorders, paying special attention to strain-specific effects that emerged and any adverse effects noted.

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Personalized probiotic regimens, taking into account individual characteristics such as stool patterns, have the potential to alleviate gastrointestinal disorders and improve gut health while avoiding the variability exhibited among individuals by conventional probiotics. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of personalized probiotic interventions in managing distinct stool patterns (constipation and diarrhea) by investigating their impact on the gut microbiome and gastrointestinal symptoms using a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial design. This research leverages the multi-strain probiotic formulas, Consti-Biome and Sensi-Biome, which have previously demonstrated efficacy in alleviating constipation and diarrhea symptoms, respectively. Improvement in clinical symptoms improvement and compositional changes in the gut microbiome were analyzed in participants with predominant constipation or diarrhea symptoms. Results indicate that tailored probiotics could improve constipation and diarrhea by promoting

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The current review explores the intricate mechanism and diverse therapeutic applications of prebiotics and probiotics in promoting gastrointestinal health. Prebiotics, nondigestible compounds, foster the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, while probiotics, live microorganisms directly contribute to the microbial balance. Therapeutically, these agents have demonstrated efficacy in treating and preventing various gastrointestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome diseases, and antibiotic–associated diarrhoea. Additionally, their impact extends beyond the gut, influencing systemic conditions such as metabolic syndrome and mental health. Understanding the intricate interplay between prebiotics, probiotics, and the host provides insights into developing targeted interventions for personalized healthcare. This review highlights the evolving landscape of prebiotic and probiotic research, emphasizing their potential as innovative therapeutic tools for a range of health conditions. Keywords: Prebiotics, probiotics, gastrointestinal health, therapeutic ap... Read More

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