title: The gut microbiota and human health with an emphasis on the use of microencapsulated bacterial cells.
abstract: The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining health. Alterations of the gut bacterial population have been associated with a number of diseases. Past and recent studies suggest that one can positively modify the contents of the gut microbiota by introducing prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and other therapeutics. This paper focuses on probiotic modulation of the gut microbiota by their delivery to the lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT). There are numerous obstacles to overcome before microorganisms can be utilized as therapeutics. One important limitation is the delivery of viable cells to the lower GIT without a significant loss of cell viability and metabolic features through the harsh conditions of the upper GIT. Microencapsulation has been shown to overcome this, with various types of microcapsules available for resolving this limitation. This paper discusses the gut microbiota and its role in disease, with a focus on microencapsulated probiotics and their potentials and limitations.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Technology and Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2B4. satya.prakash@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Satya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomaro-Duchesneau
authors.forename: Shyamali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Arielle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cantor
mesh_terms: D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004339:Drug Compounding; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D041741:Lower Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology