Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Centre for Applied Biomedical Research, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2018 Dec;43:87-92. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.08.010. Epub 2018 Sep 13.
The dynamic relationship between gut microbiota and its human host is also known as a trophic association that might range from commensalism, where only the microbe enjoys a positive effect from the relationship, to intestinal symbiosis where both host and microbe benefit from their interaction. In the last years, we have started to understand how alterations of the gut microbiota composition leading to the disruption of host-microbial interactions are associated and/or predispose individuals to disease conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel diseases to allergy and functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome. While we await important insights in this field, the microbiota is already a therapeutic target. Based on the actual definitions, prebiotics are defined as substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit, while probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Although their health promoting activities encompasses numerous effects, including immunostimulation, competitive exclusion of pathogens, and gut barrier enhancement, the exact mechanism of action by which these compounds exert their beneficial actions in humans is only partially known. In this review, we highlight the current insights into the clinical applications of prebiotics and probiotics in gastroenterology.
肠道微生物群与其人类宿主之间的动态关系也被称为营养关联，这种关联的范围从共生关系（只有微生物从这种关系中获得积极的影响）到肠道共生关系（宿主和微生物都从它们的相互作用中受益）。在过去的几年中，我们开始了解到，肠道微生物群组成的改变导致宿主-微生物相互作用的破坏，与从炎症性肠病到过敏和功能性胃肠道疾病（如肠易激综合征）等疾病状况的发生有关联和/或使个体易患这些疾病。虽然我们在这一领域还在等待重要的见解，但微生物群已经成为治疗的目标。根据实际定义，益生元被定义为被宿主微生物选择性利用并赋予健康益处的底物，而益生菌是活的微生物，当以足够的量给予时，赋予宿主健康益处。尽管它们的促进健康的作用包括许多效应，包括免疫刺激、病原体的竞争排除和肠道屏障增强，但这些化合物在人类中发挥其有益作用的确切机制仅部分已知。在这篇综述中，我们强调了目前对益生元和益生菌在胃肠病学中的临床应用的认识。
