title: Role of endogenous microbiota, probiotics and their biological products in human health.
abstract: Although gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, mucositis and the alimentary cancers share similar pathogenetic features, further investigation is required into new treatment modalities. An imbalance in the gut microbiota, breached gut integrity, bacterial invasion, increased cell apoptosis to proliferation ratio, inflammation and impaired immunity may all contribute to their pathogenesis. Probiotics are defined as live bacteria, which when administered in sufficient amounts, exert beneficial effects to the gastrointestinal tract. More recently, probiotic-derived factors including proteins and other molecules released from living probiotics, have also been shown to exert beneficial properties. In this review we address the potential for probiotics, with an emphasis on probiotic-derived factors, to reduce the severity of digestive diseases and further discuss the known mechanisms by which probiotics and probiotic-derived factors exert their physiological effects.
authors.affiliation: School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia 5371, Australia. gordon.howarth@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: Gordon S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Howarth
authors.forename: Hanru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D054892:Metagenome / Q000502:physiology*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products