Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Oncology Department, 424 General Military Training Hospital, 56429 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 26;23(7):3628. doi: 10.3390/ijms23073628.
The human lifespan has been significantly increased due to scientific advancements in the management of disease; however, the health span of the aging population does not follow the same trend. Aging is the major risk factor for multimorbidity that is derived from the progressive loss of homeostasis, immunological and stem cell exhaustion, as well as exacerbated inflammation responses. Age-related diseases presenting with high frequencies include neurodegenerative, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases and cancer. These diseases can be co-morbid and are usually managed using a disease-specific approach that can eventually lead to polypharmacy, low medication adherence rates and undesired drug-drug interactions. Novel studies suggest targeting the shared biological basis of age-related diseases to retard the onset and manage their manifestations. Harvesting the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory capacity of probiotics to tackle the root cause of these diseases, could pose a viable alternative. In this article, a comprehensive review of the effects of probiotic supplementation on the molecular pathogenesis of age-related diseases, and the potential of probiotic treatments as preventative or alleviatory means is attempted. Furthermore, issues on the safety and efficiency of probiotic supplementation, as well as the pitfalls of current clinical studies are discussed, while new perspectives for systematic characterization of probiotic benefits on aged hosts are outlined.
由于疾病管理方面的科学进步，人类的寿命大大延长；然而，老年人口的健康寿命并没有遵循同样的趋势。衰老是导致多种疾病的主要风险因素，这些疾病源于内稳态的逐渐丧失、免疫和干细胞衰竭，以及炎症反应加剧。随着年龄增长而出现的高频率疾病包括神经退行性疾病、肌肉骨骼疾病、心血管疾病、代谢疾病和癌症。这些疾病可能同时存在，并通常采用针对特定疾病的方法进行治疗，这最终可能导致多种药物治疗、药物依从性低和不良的药物相互作用。新的研究表明，针对与年龄相关的疾病的共同生物学基础进行靶向治疗，可以延缓其发病并控制其表现。利用益生菌的抗炎和免疫调节能力来解决这些疾病的根本原因，可能是一种可行的替代方法。在本文中，我们全面综述了益生菌补充剂对与年龄相关的疾病的分子发病机制的影响，以及益生菌治疗作为预防或缓解手段的潜力。此外，还讨论了益生菌补充剂的安全性和效率问题，以及当前临床研究的缺陷，同时概述了系统评估益生菌对老年宿主益处的新观点。
