Special Issue "Probiotics and Prebiotics"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Koga
Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
E-Mail: yasuhiro@is.icc.u-tokai.ac.jp
Interests: probiotics; prebiotics; bifidobacteria; gnotobiology; helicobacter pylori; stomach; atopic dermatitis; gut-brain axis

Dear Colleagues,

Probiotics are defined as live non-pathogenic bacteria that beneficially affect the host by influencing the microbiota of the digestive tract. Prebiotics, that are usually saccharides and fiber, represent a source of energy being metabolized by the intestinal and probiotic microbiota. In the last several decades, a rapid enlargement in the use of probiotics/prebiotics occurred for prevention and treatment of diseases in medicine, such as diarrhea caused by certain pathogenic bacteria and viruses, Helicobacter pylori infection, and allergy etc. Rigid evidence supporting the efficacy of probiotics/prebiotics in such clinical uses and mechanical studies are now needed in order to firmly establish them in the modern medicine.

Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Koga
Guest Editor

Submission

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• probiotics
• prebiotics
• prevention of diarrhea caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses
• Helicobacter pylori infection and complications
• inflammatory bowel diseases
• irritable bowel syndrome
• mucosal immunity
• allergy
• hyperlipidemia
• gut-brain axis

Type of Paper: Review
Title: The Potential Therapeutic Efficacy of Probiotics in Children with Food Allergy
Author: Roberto Berni Canani
Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, European laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, Via S. Pansini 5 80131, Naples, Italy; E-mail: Berni@unina.it
Abstract: Food allergy (FA) continues to be a growing health concern for infants living in western countries. The long-term prognosis for the majority of affected infants is good, with 80-90% naturally acquiring tolerance by the age of five years.However, recent studies suggest that the natural history of FA is changing, with an increasing persistence until later ages. The pathogenesis of FA as well as oral tolerance is complex and not completely known, although numerous studies implicate gut-associated immunity and enteric microflora, and it has been suggested that an altered composition of intestinal microflora results in an unbalanced local and systemic immune response to food allergens. In addition, there are qualitative and quantitative differences in the composition of gut microbiota between patients affected by FA and healthy infants. These findings prompted the concept that specific beneficial bacteria from the human intestinal microflora, designated probiotics, could restore intestinal homeostasis and prevent or alleviate allergy, at least in part by interacting with the intestinal immune cells.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Probiotics and Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Meneghin F, Fabiano V, Mameli C and Zuccotti GV
Affiliations: University of Milan, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Italy; E-Mail: gianvincenzo.zuccotti@unimi.it
Abstract: Increasing interest is currently growing about the potential beneficial role of probiotic supplementation in prevention and treatment of atopic diseases in children. Probiotics are defined as  ingested live microrganisms that, when administered in an adequate amount, confer a health benefit to the host. They are mainly represented by Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. The hypothesis of probiotics benefits on allergic diseases is based both on the evidence of their immunomodulatory effects, and on epidemiological data about differences in  intestinal microflora in atopic children, characterized by higher levels of Clostridia and lower levels of Bifidobacteria compared to healthy children. Administration of probiotics when a natural population of indigenous intestinal bacteria is still developing could theoretically influence immune development by favoring the balance between Th1 and Th2 inflammatory responses. For this reason, some studies evaluated the potential impact of probiotics supplementation in the prevention of atopic dermatitis, with contrasting results. Clinical improvement in immunoglobulin (Ig)E-sensitized (atopic) eczema following probiotic supplementation has been reported in some published studies and the therapeutic effects of probiotics on atopic dermatitis seemed to be encouraging. However, as for the prevention strategy, results are still inconclusive. In fact, clinical benefit of probiotic therapy depends upon numerous factors, such as type of bacteria, dosing regimen, delivery method and other underlying host factors, such as age and diet. More studies are still needed to definitively prove the role of probiotics in the treatment of allergic eczema.