The Mexican consensus on probiotics in gastroenterology

Sprouts as probiotic carriers: A new trend to improve consumer nutrition

Over the past few decades, efforts to eradicate hunger in the world have led to the generation of sustainable development goals to reduce poverty and inequality. It is estimated that the current coronavirus pandemic could add between 83 and 132 million to the total number of undernourished people in the world by 2021. Food insecurity is a contributing factor to the increase in malnutrition, overweight and obesity due to the quality of diets to which people have access. It is therefore necessary to develop functional foods that meet the needs of the population, such as the incorporation of sprouts in their formulation to enhance nutritional quality. Germination of grains and seeds can be used as a low-cost bioprocessing technique that provides higher nutritional value and better bioavailability of nutrients. Consequently, the manuscript describes relevant information about the germination process in different seeds, the changes caused in their nutritional value and the use of techniques within the imbibition phase to modify the metabolic profiles within the sprouts such as inoculation with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, to generate a functional symbiotic food.

Bacillus clausii for Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Narrative Literature Review

The gut microbiota is intrinsically linked to human health; disturbances in microbial homeostasis are implicated in both intestinal and extraintestinal disorders. Probiotics are "live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host," and many commercial preparations comprising a diverse range of species are available. While probiotics have been much researched, better understanding of the probiotic effects and applications of species such as Bacillus clausii is warranted. In this narrative literature review, we review the characteristics and mechanisms of action supporting B. clausii as a probiotic and discuss the evidence from clinical studies evaluating B. clausii probiotics for the management of a variety of gastrointestinal disorders and symptoms in children and adults. Finally, we highlight the challenges of future research and the need for more robust and diverse clinical evidence to guide physicians in the clinical application of probiotics for gastrointestinal disorders and other conditions.

Co-microencapsulation: a promising multi-approach technique for enhancement of functional properties

Co-microencapsulation is a growing technique in the food industry because it is a technique that, under the same fundamentals of microencapsulation, allows the generation of microcapsules with a longer shelf life, using a smaller number of encapsulating materials and a smaller amount of active compounds, while having a greater beneficial activity. This responds to consumer demand for higher quality foods that limit the use of ingredients with low nutritional content and provide beneficial health effects, such as probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins, fatty acids, and compounds with antioxidant activity. The combination of two or more active compounds that achieve a synergy between them and between the encapsulating materials offers an advantage over the well-known microencapsulation. Among the main active compounds used in this process are probiotics, prebiotics, fatty acids, and polyphenols, the main combination being that of probiotics with one of the other active compounds that enhances their benefits. The present review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different encapsulating materials and techniques used to obtain co-microencapsulants, where the main result is a higher survival of probiotics, higher stability of the active compounds and a more controlled release, which can lead to the generation of new foods, food supplements, or therapeutic foods for the treatment of common ailments.

Natural compounds as safe therapeutic options for ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. Several conventional treatments for UC such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, tumor necrosis factor antagonist, integrin blockers, and interleukin antagonist, and salicylates are available but are associated with the various limitations and side-effects. None of the above treatments helps to achieve the ultimate goal of the therapy, i.e., maintenance of remission in the long-term. Natural remedies for the treatment of UC show comparatively less side effects as compared to conventional approaches, and affordable. The current review presents details on the role of herbal drugs in the treatment and cure of UC. Google, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus portals have been searched for potentially relevant literature to get the latest developments and updated information related to use of natural drugs in the treatment of UC. Natural products have been used over centuries to treat UC. Some of the essential herbal constituents exhibiting antiulcerogenic activity include gymnemic acid (Gymnema sylvestre), shagoal (Zingiber officinale), catechin (Camellia sinensis), curcumin (Curcuma longa), arctigenin (Arctium lappa), and boswellic acid (Boswellia serrata). Although many plant-derived products have been recommended for UC, further research to understand the exact molecular mechanism is still warranted to establish their usefulness clinically.

Lactobacillus acidophilus LB: a useful pharmabiotic for the treatment of digestive disorders

Dysbiosis, a loss of balance between resident bacterial communities and their host, is associated with multiple diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases (nonspecific chronic ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), and digestive functional disorders. Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotic organisms and, more recently, pharmabiotics, have been shown to modulate the human microbiota. In this review, we provide an overview of the key concepts relating to probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotic organisms, and pharmabiotics, with a focus on available clinical evidence regarding the specific use of a unique pharmabiotic, the strain Lactobacillus acidophilus LB (Lactobacillus boucardii), for the management of gastrointestinal disorders. Since it does not contain living organisms, the administration of L. acidophilus LB is effective and safe as an adjuvant in the treatment of acute diarrhea, chronic diarrhea, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea, even in the presence of immunosuppression.

Microbiota intestinal en pediatría

La microbiota intestinal es el conjunto de millones de microrganismos vivos ubicados en el tracto gastrointestinal. Es indispensable en múltiples funciones del organismo, regulación de la inmunidad, en aspectos nutricionales y procesos de inflamación sistémica entre otros. La disbiosis es la alteración del equilibrio de la microbiota normal, debido a cambios en la composición, funcionamiento, orden o su distribución; esto puede predisponer al individuo a la adquisición de enfermedades gastrointestinales, alérgicas y metabólicas, entre otras. El objetivo del presente artículo es realizar una revisión narrativa de la literatura sobre los conceptos claves de la microbiota intestinal, sus asociaciones fisiopatológicas con desórdenes gastrointestinales, alérgicos y metabólicos en pediatría.

Are probiotics useful in the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation in adults? A review of existing systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and recommendations

Chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) has emerged as common problem for contemporary gastroenterology and is one of the most frequent complaints in primary care. Chronic idiopathic constipation significantly affects patients' quality of life and has an impact on global health and economy. Functional gastrointestinal disorders and bowel disorders, according to Rome IV criteria, result from inappropriate gut-brain interactions. The pathophysiology is complex and poorly understood, with evidence accumulating that gut microbiota can be implicated in the development and function of the enteric nervous system. Gut bacteria modulate gut barrier function, short chain fatty acid synthesis, and bile acid metabolism, factors which play roles in the gut peristalsis regulation. The high prevalence of CIC, with poor treatment outcomes, warrants searches for new forms of therapy, including probiotic therapies. Probiotics are often recommended by medical practitioners, but evidence-based utility in adults with CIC is uncertain. Recommendations/guidelines are often based on results from individual studies, rather than meta-analyses or umbrella reviews. Additionally, meta-analyses often indicate a group of probiotics rather than individual strains, and they create difficulty for physicians in making therapeutic choices. More CIC patient randomised clinical studies utilising well-defined strains, or combinations, are necessary.

Probiotics and Clostridium Difficile: A Review of Dysbiosis and the Rehabilitation of Gut Microbiota

The basis of this paper is to address the use of probiotics as a novel approach to help treat the growing problem of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), particularly, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Most of the available data regarding probiotics and their usefulness in treating Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) was collected and analyzed. Studies showed the effectiveness of probiotics in treating and also preventing CDI, as well as other gastrointestinal conditions such as Helicobacter pylori infection and inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotics also have, based on limited research, a comparatively minimal adverse effect profile and can aid in faster recovery from disease. Extensive research has been done on two organisms, Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces, but further research into other effective organisms are needed. More clinical trials also need to be conducted to better understand the side effect profile, optimal dosage, drug interactions, and long-term effects on gut microbiota.

The Use of Probiotic Therapy to Modulate the Gut Microbiota and Dendritic Cell Responses in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Recent investigations have shown that different conditions such as diet, the overuse of antibiotics or the colonization of pathogenic microorganisms can alter the population status of the intestinal microbiota. This modification can produce a change from homeostasis to a condition known as imbalance or dysbiosis; however, the role-played by dysbiosis and the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) has been poorly understood. It was actually not until a few years ago that studies started to develop regarding the role that dendritic cells (DC) of intestinal mucosa play in the sensing of the gut microbiota population. The latest studies have focused on describing the DC modulation, specifically on tolerance response involving T regulatory cells or on the inflammatory response involving reactive oxygen species and tissue damage. Furthermore, the latest studies have also focused on the protective and restorative effect of the population of the gut microbiota given by probiotic therapy, targeting IBD and other intestinal pathologies. In the present work, the authors propose and summarize a recently studied complex axis of interaction between the population of the gut microbiota, the sensing of the DC and its modulation towards tolerance and inflammation, the development of IBD and the protective and restorative effect of probiotics on other intestinal pathologies.