Microbiome and probiotics: link to arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
The gut microbiome plays an integral role in the development and maintenance of the host immune system. Expanding knowledge about this microbial microenvironment has raised the possibility of new treatments based on this knowledge. In this review, we describe the recent evidence of the impact of the gut microbiome on arthritis and possible novel therapeutic approaches to alter the gut flora.


RESULTS
Recent studies support the growing evidence of microbiome as a causative agent underlying certain rheumatic diseases like ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. There is intriguing yet still inconclusive evidence to support the use of probiotics as a treatment for these diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
There is recently a new level of understanding how the microbiome interacts with the immune system. Gene-environment interaction is another important element that sets the stage for initiation of autoimmune disease, which calls for further investigation. Probiotics could be an appealing therapeutic strategy, but further interventional studies exploring the dynamic interaction of microbiome and probiotics are still needed.
Division of Rheumatology, UHN - Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Mohamed K
MK
Bedaiwi
Robert D
RD
Inman
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome; D064307:Microbiota; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*