From Pre- and Probiotics to Post-Biotics: A Narrative Review

Overview

Journal Int J Environ Res Public Health

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Environmental Health
Public Health

Date 2022 Jan 11

PMID 35010297

Authors

Emidio Scarpellini

Emanuele Rinninella

Martina Basilico

Esther Colomier

Carlo Rasetti

Tiziana Larussa

Pierangelo Santori

Ludovico Abenavoli

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Aims: gut microbiota (GM) is a complex ecosystem containing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts. It has several functions in the human body ranging from immunomodulation to metabolic. GM derangement is called dysbiosis and is involved in several host diseases. Pre-, probiotics, and symbiotics (PRE-PRO-SYMB) have been extensively developed and studied for GM re-modulation. Herein, we review the literature data regarding the new concept of postbiotics, starting from PRE-PRO-SYMB.

Methods: we conducted a search on the main medical databases for original articles, reviews, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials, and case series using the following keywords and acronyms and their associations: gut microbiota, prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotic, and postbiotics.

Results: postbiotics account for PRO components and metabolic products able to beneficially affect host health and GM. The deeper the knowledge about them, the greater their possible uses: the prevention and treatment of atopic, respiratory tract, and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Conclusions: better knowledge about postbiotics can be useful for the prevention and treatment of several human body diseases, alone or as an add-on to PRE-PRO-SYMB.

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