Background. Anxiety and depression are becoming increasingly prevalent today and are often aggravated by day-to-day stresses. Because current management strategies are usually accompanied by unpleasant side effects, there is a need to look into alternative treatment regimens - such as prebiotics - that may provide equally effective anxiolytic and antidepressant effects.

Objective. Therefore, the study aims to determine the effect of a combined fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and galactooligosaccharide (GOS) supplemented diet on anxiety and depression levels in mice subjected to Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS).

Methods. Forty male BALB/C mice were subjected to UCMS under a pretest-posttest control group design where the treatment group received prebiotic supplementation throughout the study. Repeated measures ANOVA was run to evaluate between, within, and time interactions of the measured anxiety parameters using the light-dark box test, and depression parameter using the fur coat state assessment.

Results. Results show that (1) the FOS + GOS treatment did not give the treatment group an advantage over the control group during UCMS, (2) both groups grew more anxious and depressed over time, and (3) the treatment group grew more anxious with time in relation to control in terms of the total time spent in the light side.

Conclusion. These imply that the UCMS protocol was successful in inducing stress in mice, but the FOS + GOS regimen failed to provide anxiolytic and antidepressant effects on male BALB/C mice exposed to UCMS.

Interaction exists in lung cancer and microbiota. Lung microecological homeostasis can improve the immune tolerance, enhance immune suppression, and inhibit inflammatory responses, to reduce the lung cancer; while lung cancer can lead to pulmonary microecological imbalance, change the lung environment, and promote tumor cell proliferation. Therefore, modulating microbial flora and microecological immunotherapy may be a potential and preventive treatment for lung cancer, to restore tumor immunosuppression and improve patient survival. However, the individual differences in the lung microecology, because of different genetics, ethnic characteristics, and dietary habits, increasing the difficulty of precise diagnosis and treatment, which is also the current bottleneck in the application of microecological immunotherapy. Otherwise, the effectiveness of regulatory measures such as probiotics, prebiotics or antimicrobials is questionable. The research on microbial flora is still in its infancy, and further exploration is needed to form a standardized, effective, and precise treatment plan. So, standardized, effective, and precise microbial flora treatment strategies need to be further explored.
Humans ; Probiotics ; Prebiotics ; Microbiota ; Lung Neoplasms

Objectives: Probiotic supplementation often only leads to transient improvement in the gut microbiome. Potential prebiotics, such as the oligosaccharide-rich varieties of Dioscorea esculenta tubers, can potentially bridge the gap between supplementation and persistent colonization. Thus, this study aimed to assess the ability of D. esculenta tubers to promote the growth of probiotic Lactobacillus sp. in vitro selectively.

Methods: The prebiotic activity of the selected varieties of Dioscorea esculenta tubers was evaluated via compe titive growth assay, wherein the ratios of probiotic Lactobacillus sp. over enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) or "prebiotic ratios" were compared following treatment.

Results: Negative control (0.9% NaCl solution) produced a ratio of 0.88, Lowland and Highland varieties produced ratios of 1.26 and 1.29, respectively, and positive control (inulin) produced 1.54. The two varieties had comparable ratios to one another (p > 0.05), and significantly higher ratios than the negative control (p < 0.05). Both varieties have significant prebiotic activity. Compared to inulin, the two varieties' prebiotic activity was 84% as effective.

Conclusion: Overall, the tubers promoted the growth of Lactobacillus sp. over ETEC. The crude tuber samples, given their availability and affordability, can be easily integrated into the local diet to contribute to the improvement of the general population's health.

Over the past decade, growing evidence has established the gut microbiota as one of the most important determinants of metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Indeed, obesogenic diet can drastically alter bacterial populations (i.e., dysbiosis) leading to activation of pro-inflammatory mechanisms and metabolic endotoxemia, therefore promoting insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disorders. To counteract these deleterious effects, probiotic strains have been developed with the aim of reshaping the microbiome to improve gut health. In this review, we focus on benefits of widely used probiotics describing their potential mechanisms of action, especially their ability to decrease metabolic endotoxemia by restoring the disrupted intestinal mucosal barrier. We also discuss the perspective of using new bacterial strains such as butyrate-producing bacteria and the mucolytic Akkermansia muciniphila, as well as the use of prebiotics to enhance the functionality of probiotics. Finally, this review introduces the notion of genetically engineered bacterial strains specifically developed to deliver anti-inflammatory molecules to the gut.
Bacteria ; Diet ; Endotoxemia ; Insulin Resistance ; Microbiota ; Obesity ; Prebiotics ; Probiotics*

Gut microbiota plays critical physiological roles in the energy extraction and in the control of local or systemic immunity. Gut microbiota and its disturbance also appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases including metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, etc. In the metabolic point of view, gut microbiota can modulate lipid accumulation, lipopolysaccharide content and the production of short-chain fatty acids that affect food intake, inflammatory tone, or insulin signaling. Several strategies have been developed to change gut microbiota such as prebiotics, probiotics, certain antidiabetic drugs or fecal microbiota transplantation, which have diverse effects on body metabolism and on the development of metabolic disorders.
Eating ; Fatty Acids, Volatile ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Insulin ; Metabolism ; Metformin ; Microbiota* ; Obesity ; Prebiotics ; Probiotics

A complex set of interactions between the microbiome, gut and brain modulate responses to visceral pain. These interactions occur at the level of the gastrointestinal mucosa, and via local neural, endocrine or immune activity; as well as by the production of factors transported through the circulatory system, like bacterial metabolites or hormones. Various psychological, infectious and other stressors can disrupt this harmonious relationship and alter both the microbiome and visceral pain responses. There are critical sensitive periods that can impact visceral pain responses in adulthood. In this review we provide a brief background of the intestinal microbiome and emerging concepts of the bidirectional interactions between the microbiome, gut and brain. We also discuss recent work in animal models, and human clinical trials using prebiotics and probiotics that alter the microbiome with resultant alterations in visceral pain responses.
Brain ; Humans ; Microbiota* ; Models, Animal ; Mucous Membrane ; Prebiotics ; Probiotics ; Visceral Pain*

With the development of global economy and society,the number of patients who suffer from functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) and mental illness is growing. In recent years, a substantial amount of high-quality research evidence shows that these two kinds of diseases often coexist, and they are mutually causal, and their common pathophysiology is the abnormal interaction of "bacteria-gut-brain axis". In clinical practice, there are some problems, such as insufficient recognition and attention of both doctors and patients to its clinical manifestations, lack of understanding of pathophysiological mechanism, and lack of overall and integrated views of intervention methods, which may be the main factors of poor curative effect at present. Therefore, according to the global research progress and the author's clinical experience, we put forward a new viewpoint of "gastrointestinal psychiatry", it concluded that clinical intervention strategies needed to include dietary and lifestyle changes as well as multidisciplinary interventions such as probiotics, prebiotic, fecal microbiota transplantation and cognitive psychology. On the basis of gastrointestinal psychiatry, this paper systematically elaborated the diagnosis and treatment of this kind of diseases.
Gastrointestinal Diseases/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/therapy* ; Prebiotics ; Probiotics ; Psychiatry

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent, most lethal cancers in the world. Increasing evidence suggests that the intestinal microbiota is closely related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of CRC. The normal microbiota plays an essential role in maintaining gut barrier function and the immune microenvironment. Recent studies have identified carcinogenic bacteria such as enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) and Streptococcus gallolyticus (S. gallolyticus), as well as protective bacterial such as Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila), as potential targets of CRC treatment. Gut microbiota modulation aims to restore gut dysbiosis, regulate the intestinal immune system and prevent from pathogen invasion, all of which are beneficial for CRC prevention and prognosis. The utility of probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation and dietary inventions to treat CRC makes them novel microbe-based management tools. In this review, we describe the mechanisms involved in bacteria-derived colorectal carcinogenesis and summarized novel bacteria-related therapies for CRC. In summary, we hope to facilitate clinical applications of intestinal bacteria for preventing and treating CRC.
Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy* ; Dysbiosis ; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Prebiotics ; Tumor Microenvironment

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the minimally meaningful dosage of inulin leading to a prebiotic effect in Indonesian infants. METHODS: In a randomized controlled double-blinded, parallel, 3-arm intervention study, 164 healthy formula-fed infants aged 3 to 5 months first obtained formula-A (without inulin) during a 4-week adaptation period. Subsequently, 142 subjects were subjected to a 4-week feeding period by administering either formula-A (no inulin), formula-B (0.2 g/100 mL inulin) or formula-C (0.4 g/100 mL inulin). The primary outcome parameter was %-bifidobacteria in faecal samples determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Secondary outcome parameters were faecal %-lactobacilli, pH and stool frequency, and consistency. Growth and tolerance/adverse effects were recorded as safety parameters. RESULTS: Typical %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli at the end of the adaptation period in the study population were 14% and 2%, respectively. For faecal pH, significant differences between formula groups A vs. C and A vs. B were found at the end of the intervention period. Testing for differences in faecal %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli between groups was hampered by non-normal data set distributions; no statistically significant differences were obtained. Comparisons within groups revealed that only in formula group C, all the three relevant parameters exhibited a significant effect with an increase in faecal %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli and a decrease in pH. CONCLUSION: A consistent prebiotic effect along with a decrease in pH and increase in %-bifidobacteria and %-lactobacilli was found only in the group administered 0.4 g inulin/100 mL.
Dataset ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant Formula ; Infant* ; Inulin* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prebiotics*

OBJECTIVES: The 2017 guideline for the prevention of travelers' diarrhea (TD) by the International Society of Travel Medicine suggested that ‘there is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of commercially available prebiotics or probiotics to prevent or treat TD.’ However, a meta-analysis published in 2007 reported significant efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of TD (summary relative risk [sRR], 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 0.91). This study aimed to synthesize the efficacy of probiotics on TD by updating the meta-analysis of double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized human trials. METHODS: The search process was conducted by the adaptive meta-analysis method using the ‘cited by’ and ‘similar articles’ options provided by PubMed. The inclusion criteria were double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized human trials with hypotheses of probiotics as intervention and TD as an outcome. The adaptive meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software using the csi, metan, metafunnel, and metabias options. RESULTS: Eleven articles were selected for the meta-analysis. The sRR was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.79 to 0.91) and showed statistical significance. There was no heterogeneity (I-squared=28.4%) and no publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics showed statistically significant efficacy in the prevention of TD.
Diarrhea* ; Humans ; Methods ; Population Characteristics ; Prebiotics ; Probiotics* ; Publication Bias ; Travel Medicine