• Submit to Nutrients Login Register
• MDPI
• Journals A-Z
• For Authors
• For Editors
• About
• Open Access Policy

• Abstract
• Full-Text PDF [428 KB]
• Full-Text XML
• Article Versions Notes

• Article Statistics
• PubMed/Medline
• Google Scholar
• Order Reprints

• Cite this article
• Export to BibTeX
• Export to EndNote

• [+] on DOAJ
• Howarth, GS.
• Wang, H
• [+] on Google Scholar
• Howarth, GS.
• Wang, H
• [+] on PubMed
• Howarth, GS.
• Wang, H

•  CiteULike
•  Facebook
•  Mendeley
•  Twitter

This article is

• freely available
• re-usable

Nutrients 2013, 5(1), 58-81; doi:10.3390/nu5010058

Review

Role of Endogenous Microbiota, Probiotics and Their Biological Products in Human Health

Gordon S. Howarth ^1,2,*  and Hanru Wang ¹

¹ School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia 5371, Australia ² Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Gastroenterology, Children, Youth and Women's Health Service, North Adelaide, South Australia 5006, Australia

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 24 October 2012; in revised form: 5 December 2012 / Accepted: 14 December 2012 / Published: 10 January 2013

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gut Microbiota and Gut Function)

Download PDF Full-Text [428 KB, Updated Version, uploaded 15 January 2013 16:01 CET]

The original version is still available [427 KB, uploaded 10 January 2013 11:18 CET]

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.

Keywords: microbiota; microbiome; modifiers; probiotics; biofactors; probiotic-derived factors; probiotic mechanisms; supernatants; intestinal function

Article Statistics

Cite This Article