Filidou E, Kandilogiannakis L, Shrewsbury A, Kolios G, Kotzampassi K. Probiotics: Shaping the gut immunological responses. World J Gastroenterol 2024; 30(15): 2096-2108 [PMID: 38681982 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i15.2096]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Katerina Kotzampassi, MD, PhD, Senior Scientist, Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St Kiriakidi 1, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece. kakothe@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Immunology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2024; 30(15): 2096-2108 Published online Apr 21, 2024. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v30.i15.2096
Probiotics: Shaping the gut immunological responses
Eirini Filidou, Leonidas Kandilogiannakis, Anne Shrewsbury, George Kolios, Katerina Kotzampassi
Eirini Filidou, Leonidas Kandilogiannakis, George Kolios, Faculty of Medicine, Laboratory of Pharmacology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis 68100, Greece
Anne Shrewsbury, Katerina Kotzampassi, Department of Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece
Author contributions: Filidou E, Kandilogiannakis L, Shrewsbury A, Kolios G and Kotzampassi K contributed to this paper; Filidou E, Kolios G and Kotzampassi K designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Kotzampassi K contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Filidou E and Kandilogiannakis L contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript, illustrations, and review of literature; Shrewsbury A contributed to the writing and the linguistic editing of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: Https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Katerina Kotzampassi, MD, PhD, Senior Scientist, Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, St Kiriakidi 1, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece. kakothe@yahoo.com
Received: January 24, 2024 Peer-review started: January 24, 2024 First decision: February 8, 2024 Revised: February 28, 2024 Accepted: March 28, 2024 Article in press: March 28, 2024 Published online: April 21, 2024 Processing time: 85 Days and 12.9 Hours
Abstract
Probiotics are live microorganisms exerting beneficial effects on the host’s health when administered in adequate amounts. Among the most popular and adequately studied probiotics are bacteria from the families Lactobacillaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae and yeasts. Most of them have been shown, both in vitro and in vivo studies of intestinal inflammation models, to provide favorable results by means of improving the gut microbiota composition, promoting the wound healing process and shaping the immunological responses. Chronic intestinal conditions, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), are characterized by an imbalance in microbiota composition, with decreased diversity, and by relapsing and persisting inflammation, which may lead to mucosal damage. Although the results of the clinical studies investigating the effect of probiotics on patients with IBD are still controversial, it is without doubt that these microorganisms and their metabolites, now named postbiotics, have a positive influence on both the host’s microbiota and the immune system, and ultimately alter the topical tissue microenvironment. This influence is achieved through three axes: (1) By displacement of potential pathogens via competitive exclusion; (2) by offering protection to the host through the secretion of various defensive mediators; and (3) by supplying the host with essential nutrients. We will analyze and discuss almost all the in vitro and in vivo studies of the past 2 years dealing with the possible favorable effects of certain probiotic genus on gut immunological responses, highlighting which species are the most beneficial against intestinal inflammation.
Core Tip: Probiotics, such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, exert remarkable anti-inflammatory properties on the gut's immune responses. These beneficial microorganisms not only restore immunity markers but also enrich the gut's microbiota, crucial for a healthy microbial balance. Incorporating probiotics or foods rich in these beneficial microorganisms, particularly in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, holds promise for restoring gut health, boosting the immune system, and alleviating inflammation.
