Role of probiotics in managing various human diseases, from oral pathology to cancer and gastrointestinal diseases

Oana-Alina Petrariu; Ilda Czobor Barbu; Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu; Marian Constantin; Georgiana Alexandra Grigore; Roxana-Elena Cristian; Grigore Mihaescu; Corneliu Ovidiu Vrancianu

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296447

Role of probiotics in managing various human diseases, from oral pathology to cancer and gastrointestinal diseases

Front Microbiol. 2024 Jan 5:14:1296447. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296447. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Oana-Alina Petrariu^{1

2}, Ilda Czobor Barbu^{1

2

3}, Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu^{2

4}, Marian Constantin^{2

5}, Georgiana Alexandra Grigore^{1

2

3

6}, Roxana-Elena Cristian^{2

6

7}, Grigore Mihaescu¹, Corneliu Ovidiu Vrancianu^{1

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Microbiology-Immunology Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.
² The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.
³ Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest, Romania.
⁴ Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Politehnica University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.
⁵ Institute of Biology of Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania.
⁶ National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Bucharest, Romania.
⁷ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania.

Abstract

The imbalance of microbial composition and diversity in favor of pathogenic microorganisms combined with a loss of beneficial gut microbiota taxa results from factors such as age, diet, antimicrobial administration for different infections, other underlying medical conditions, etc. Probiotics are known for their capacity to improve health by stimulating the indigenous gut microbiota, enhancing host immunity resistance to infection, helping digestion, and carrying out various other functions. Concurrently, the metabolites produced by these microorganisms, termed postbiotics, which include compounds like bacteriocins, lactic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, contribute to inhibiting a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. This review presents an update on using probiotics in managing and treating various human diseases, including complications that may emerge during or after a COVID-19 infection.

Keywords: dysbiosis; gut microbiota; intestinal barrier; microbiome therapeutics; probiotics.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development, and Innovation (https://uefiscdi.gov.ro/, accessed on April 20, 2023) research project FDI 0690/2023, the “Analysis of the potential for sustainable use of vegetation specific to the Danube-Danube Delta-Black Sea System” project, awarded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014–2020, contract no. 108630, project no. RO1567-IBB05/2023 awarded by the Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy, and “The core program within the National Research Development and Innovation Plan, 2022–2027,” carried out with the support of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID), project no. 23020101, contract no. 7N from January 03, 2023, and by AOSR Teams, project no. 288/20.02.2022. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.