Search Results (393)

Among the many concerns surrounding global health, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely recognized as a major threat, especially critical within livestock production, where restrictions on antibiotic use demand effective preventive alternatives. The documented health benefits and structural stability have positioned yeast-derived postbiotics as an attractive alternative, but research has largely focused on Saccharomyces cerevisiae, leaving non-Saccharomyces yeast species underexplored. To this end, in this study nine non-conventional yeast strains were selected and subjected to different thermal and chemical inactivation methods to determine the most suitable conditions for postbiotic obtention. Based on their physicochemical characterization and scalability potential, heat-treated postbiotics were selected for subsequent in vitro evaluation. Immunomodulatory assays demonstrated that heat-inactivated postbiotics from the different yeast strains were internalized by macrophages and induced dose-and-species-dependent expression of maturation markers CD40 and CD86, as well as TNF-α production, eliciting a proinflammatory response in vitro. Moreover, among all the species evaluated in this work, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Wickerhamomyces anomalus stood out for their ability to significantly reduce the adhesion of the enteropathogen enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) to intestinal cells in vitro. These results highlight the species-dependent immunomodulatory and anti-infective properties of selected yeast-derived postbiotics. Full article

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Bacillus subtilis-derived postbiotic on apparent total tract nutrient digestibility, faecal fermentation characteristics, gut microbiota, immune response, blood biochemistry, hematological parameters, serum trace minerals, and coat quality in healthy senior dogs. Twenty-one healthy senior Golden Retriever dogs (9 ± 1.0 years old) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments for 28 days: a control diet (CON) or the same diet supplemented with 0.3 (POS1) or 0.6 mL/day (POS2) of a Bacillus subtilis-derived postbiotic. Apparent nutrient digestibility, faecal characteristics, blood variables, and coat quality were evaluated, whereas faecal bacterial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, followed by taxonomic classification and alpha- and beta-diversity analyses. Postbiotic supplementation significantly improved crude protein and crude fiber digestibility while reducing faecal pH and ammonia concentrations and increasing acetate, propionate, and total short-chain fatty acid concentrations (p < 0.05). Alpha diversity was minimally affected, with a significant difference observed only for amplicon sequence variant (ASV) richness, whereas beta diversity analyses demonstrated significant alterations in overall microbial community composition. Postbiotic supplementation increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium, Ligilactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Prevotella, Turicibacter, and Fusobacterium, while reducing Bacteroides and Achromobacter. Serum IgG concentrations increased, whereas cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations decreased in supplemented dogs (p < 0.05). Coat morphology and gloss also improved, without adverse effects on hematological, biochemical, or serum trace mineral parameters. In conclusion, Bacillus subtilis-derived postbiotic supplementation improved nutrient utilization, beneficially modulated faecal microbial ecology and fermentation, enhanced selected metabolic and immune responses, and improved coat quality, supporting its potential as a functional dietary strategy for promoting gastrointestinal and systemic health in healthy senior dogs. Full article

Fermented foods contain diverse microorganisms that may influence oral microbial ecology and contribute to oral health. This narrative review aimed to examine the current evidence regarding microorganisms present in fermented foods and their role in oral health promotion. Twenty relevant clinical, experimental, observational, and review studies published between 2016 and 2026 were identified through a structured literature search and critically synthesized according to major thematic areas, including oral microbiota modulation, dental caries prevention, periodontal health, probiotic delivery systems, and evidence from review articles. The findings appear to indicate that fermented food-derived microorganisms may reduce cariogenic and periodontal pathogens, modulate oral biofilms, improve gingival health, and promote microbial homeostasis. Yogurt, kefir, fermented dairy products, and kimchi-derived microorganisms were the most frequently investigated sources. Emerging evidence further suggests that the benefits of these microorganisms are linked to ecological regulation of the oral microbiome and host–microbe interactions rather than direct antimicrobial activity alone. Microorganisms associated with fermented foods may therefore represent promising functional dietary components for supporting oral health and complementing preventive oral healthcare strategies. Further well-designed clinical studies are needed to establish strain-specific recommendations and explore the potential of postbiotic applications in dentistry. Full article

Background/Objectives: Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is driven by gut-liver axis dysfunction, including intestinal barrier disruption, dysbiosis, microbial translocation, inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and malnutrition. Fermented dairy foods may modulate several of these domains, yet whether sheep yogurt, as an intact fermented dairy matrix, is relevant in ALD is unknown. This scoping review mapped evidence relevant to sheep yogurt, ALD, and gut-liver axis biology. Methods: A PRISMA-ScR-guided scoping review searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar from January 2006 to February 2026. Eligible sources were charted using a prespecified framework classifying evidence as direct, indirect, or mechanistic inference. Mapped domains included ALD pathophysiology; intestinal barrier integrity; bacterial and fungal microbial ecology; bile acid and tryptophan-aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling; nutritional vulnerability; fermented dairy interventions; and ovine dairy-matrix characteristics. Results: Of 1388 records identified, 121 sources were included after duplication and screening. No eligible study directly tested sheep yogurt or a defined sheep yogurt preparation in ALD-relevant experimental or clinical settings. Indirect evidence supported the relevance of gut-liver axis dysfunction to ALD and indicated that selected fermented dairy products, probiotics, postbiotics, and microbial preparations may influence intestinal permeability, inflammatory signaling, microbial ecology, oxidative stress, and liver-injury outcomes. Compositional data supported sheep yogurt as a distinct food matrix. However, findings from isolated components, probiotic-only interventions, and non-ALD models could not be interpreted as evidence of sheep yogurt efficacy in ALD. Conclusions: The current literature supports a hypothesis-driven research framework rather than any therapeutic claim for sheep yogurt in ALD. Any potential benefit of sheep yogurt in ALD remains hypothetical and cannot support clinical or dietary recommendations until validated experimentally. Future direct, comparator-controlled studies of intact sheep yogurt should assess liver injury, barrier integrity, microbial translocation, relevant metabolites, and nutrition-related outcomes. Full article

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, causing more than 600,000 deaths every year. The human microbiome is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic response. Postbiotics—defined as non-viable microbial cells and/or their structural components and metabolites that confer health benefits—are emerging as promising and safer alternatives to live probiotics in oncology. This review provides a comprehensive mechanistic overview of the potential role of postbiotics against cancer, with a specific focus on breast cancer. Preclinical evidence demonstrates that selected postbiotics exert dose- and time-dependent anticancer effects against multiple breast cancer subtypes by modulating key oncogenic pathways (such as PI3K/AKT and NF-κB) and inducing epigenetic regulation through histone deacetylase inhibition. Beyond direct effects on tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis, postbiotics influence the breast cancer microenvironment by reshaping cytokine networks, suppressing pro-metastatic inflammation, and enhancing antitumor immune responses through the activation of NK cells and T cells. We also provide emerging links between microbiome composition, estrobolome activity, and breast cancer subtype-specific biology. Despite these encouraging findings, the clinical translation of postbiotics in oncology remains limited. Currently, only one registered clinical trial investigates postbiotics in the oncology setting (melanoma), and no clinical trials have specifically evaluated postbiotics in breast cancer patients. This highlights a substantial translational gap between preclinical evidence and clinical application. Accordingly, well-designed, tumor-specific clinical trials are urgently needed to validate the safety, efficacy, and therapeutic potential of postbiotics as novel strategies in personalized breast cancer management. Full article

Naturally derived bioactive compounds that modulate aging-associated mechanisms have attracted growing research interest, yet few reviews examine how such compounds might act together. This narrative review examines four mechanistically distinct compounds, namely spermidine, fisetin, berberine, and urolithin A, as emerging functional food ingredients with scientifically supported effects on key hallmarks of human aging. Spermidine, a dietary polyamine from wheat germ and fermented foods, induces autophagy through EP300 inhibition and is associated with reduced all-cause mortality in prospective studies. Fisetin, a flavonoid from strawberries and apples, exerts senolytic activity by selectively eliminating senescent cells via PI3K/AKT and Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibition, with emerging clinical evidence. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid from Berberis species, modulates metabolic dysfunction via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and reshapes gut microbiota composition through direct high intraluminal exposure, with the most extensive clinical dataset of the four compounds. Urolithin A, a gut microbiome-derived postbiotic from ellagitannins in pomegranates and nuts, induces mitophagy via PINK1/Parkin and has been evaluated in a growing number of registered human clinical trials. Together, the four compounds primarily target distinct but complementary aging-associated pathways (autophagy, senolysis, metabolic regulation, mitophagy), suggesting rational potential for combined functional food formulations. Limited direct evidence for their combined use and the need for dedicated co-administration studies are discussed, alongside bioavailability, safety, and regulatory considerations. Full article

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by epidermal barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and marked clinical heterogeneity. Growing evidence implicates the gut microbiome in AD-related pathways through microbial metabolites, intestinal barrier function, and systemic immune signaling. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on gut microbial alterations in AD, with particular attention to short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan-derived aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, intestinal permeability, gut–skin microbiome interactions, and microbiota-targeted interventions. Human studies have reported associations between AD and altered abundance of selected microbial taxa, metabolite profiles, and markers of intestinal barrier dysfunction, whereas animal and in vitro studies provide complementary mechanistic evidence. However, findings remain heterogeneous across age groups, disease phenotypes, geographic populations, analytical platforms, and treatment exposures, and causality is incompletely established. Probiotic and synbiotic interventions have shown strain-specific and context-dependent effects, while postbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation, washed microbiota transplantation, and metabolite-directed approaches remain investigational. AI-assisted multi-omics methods may improve biological stratification and hypothesis generation, but current applications are limited by small sample sizes, cohort heterogeneity, overfitting, insufficient external validation, and limited clinical implementation. Current evidence therefore supports the gut microbiome as a mechanistically plausible contributor, potential biomarker, and therapeutic target in AD while underscoring the need for longitudinal, phenotype-aware, and externally validated studies before routine clinical translation. Full article

The gut–immune–metabolic axis has emerged as a central regulator of human health, with growing evidence indicating that microbiota-derived metabolites improve gut microbial ecology, enhance intestinal barrier integrity, reduce systemic inflammation, and maintain metabolic homeostasis. This review synthesizes current mechanistic and clinical evidence on the role of postbiotics in regulating intestinal barrier integrity, immune responses, oxidative stress, and metabolic–endocrine homeostasis. The literature was identified through the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science, integrating evidence from experimental, mechanistic, animal and clinical studies on the therapeutic potential of postbiotics to modulate the gut–immune–metabolic axis. Preclinical studies suggest that postbiotics may enhance epithelial barrier function by improving tight junction integrity through multiple pathways such as PI3K/Akt signaling, stimulating mucin-2 (MUC2) production, and reducing intestinal permeability. They modulate immune responses through interactions with Toll-like receptors, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain receptors, and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPR41/43), influencing key signaling pathways, including NF-κB and Nrf2, and altering cytokine profiles, such as IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. Similarly, preclinical investigations have demonstrated that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and other microbial metabolites may improve insulin sensitivity, regulate hepatic gluconeogenesis, stimulate glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion, and modulate lipid metabolism through the FXR and TGR5 signaling pathways. Emerging human studies suggest potential benefits of postbiotics in regulating gut, immune, and metabolic health; nevertheless, clinical evidence remains limited and is influenced by variability in postbiotic composition, dosage, formulation, and metabolite profiles. Therefore, standardized production approaches and well-designed large-scale randomized clinical trials are required to confirm therapeutic efficacy and establish evidence-based applications of postbiotics. Full article

Background/Objectives: Postbiotics are increasingly recognized as biologically active products of microorganisms with emerging potential as microbiome-inspired therapeutic interventions. While most microbiome-based strategies focus on modifying microbial composition, restoration of microbial signaling has received comparatively less attention. This review examines postbiotics through the lens of microbial signaling restoration and proposes a unified Metabolite–Immune–Redox (MIR) axis linking microbial-derived signals with immune regulation, redox homeostasis, endothelial integrity, and host resilience. Methods: This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on postbiotics, microbial metabolites, structural microbial components, and extracellular vesicles, with emphasis on their roles in immunometabolic regulation, redox biology, endothelial function, and host-directed interventions. Results: Current evidence suggests that short-chain fatty acids, indole derivatives, bile acid metabolites, and microbial extracellular vesicles are important mediators of host–microbe communication. These signals influence interconnected pathways involving mitochondrial function, inflammasome activity, immune calibration, endothelial and glycocalyx homeostasis, and disease tolerance. The review highlights the endothelium as an underrecognized therapeutic target and discusses biomarkers, including soluble thrombomodulin, von Willebrand factor, and D-dimer, as potential tools for identifying patients most likely to benefit from host-directed interventions. Major translational challenges include product heterogeneity, incomplete mechanistic characterization, uncertain exposure–response relationships, and unresolved regulatory considerations. Conclusions: The proposed MIR axis provides a hypothesis-generating framework for understanding how restoration of microbial signaling may contribute to precision host-directed therapeutic strategies. Further mechanistic and clinical studies are needed to validate this concept and define its translational potential in inflammatory, infectious, and critical illness settings. Full article

As an eco-friendly strategy for improving intestinal health, production performance, and meat quality in livestock and poultry, live probiotic strains (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus), paraprobiotics and postbiotics have exhibited considerable application potential in monogastric livestock in animal husbandry. However, probiotic efficacy is commonly characterized by striking individual heterogeneity, and its intrinsic regulatory basis remains poorly understood. This review systematically summarizes the core mechanisms by which probiotics modulate meat quality, feed efficiency and small intestinal and cecal health in pigs and broilers via the gut–muscle axis, nutrient metabolic axis, and immune regulatory axis. We elucidate the heritable effects of host genetics on shaping the gut microbiome and the fundamental principles underlying genotype–probiotic (G×P) interactions, highlighting that host genetic background represents an important of differential responses to probiotics. Accordingly, we propose integrating microbial genome-wide association studies (mGWAS) and genomic selection to develop novel breeding programs targeting probiotic responsiveness, with the aim of establishing a precision breeding system for probiotic-friendly livestock and poultry. This review may facilitate the paradigm shift of probiotic applications from universal administration to precision intervention, and from single nutritional regulation to host–microbiome synergistic breeding, providing a conceptual framework and innovative strategies for the green, efficient, and sustainable development of animal husbandry. Full article

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains one of the most devastating gastrointestinal disorders affecting preterm infants, with substantial mortality and long-term morbidity despite advances in neonatal care. Increasing evidence implicates intestinal dysbiosis, impaired intestinal barrier function, and dysregulated immune responses as central drivers of NEC pathogenesis, making microbiome-targeted interventions a promising preventive strategy. Collectively termed “biotics,” these interventions include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics, each aimed at modulating the developing gut ecosystem. This narrative review summarizes current evidence on the efficacy, safety, and clinical applicability of biotics for NEC prevention in very preterm and very-low-birth-weight infants. Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses involving more than 10,000 infants demonstrate that specific multi-strain probiotic formulations, particularly those combining Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, reduce NEC incidence and all-cause mortality, although benefits are less consistent in extremely low-birth-weight infants. Prebiotics alone showed a limited impact on NEC prevention, while emerging evidence suggests synbiotics may offer additive or superior protection compared with probiotics alone. Postbiotics represent a novel and potentially safer alternative, especially for the most vulnerable infants, though clinical data remain limited. Despite favorable effectiveness in meta-analyses, probiotics adoption remains variable due to strain heterogeneity, variable product quality, regulatory challenges, and rare but serious safety concerns. Precision microbiome approaches, pharmaceutical-grade formulations, personalized therapies informed by multi-omics profiling, and next-generation delivery systems may drive the future in this field. Full article

Skin aging is a multidimensional biological process driven by intrinsic chronological changes, exposomal stress, endocrine–metabolic shifts, extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammaging, oxidative injury, barrier impairment, and microbiome dysbiosis. This review integrates current evidence on the endocrine–microbiome–skin axis and evaluates microbiome-directed bioactive strategies for preserving cutaneous homeostasis during aging. Particular attention is given to probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, synbiotics, phytoestrogens, polyphenols, bioactive peptides, antioxidants, mitochondrial protectors, adaptogens, and metabolic modulators. Their mechanisms are discussed in relation to collagen homeostasis, mitochondrial function, lipid barrier integrity, immune regulation, microbial metabolite signaling, and systemic endocrine–metabolic status. The review also examines advanced delivery platforms, including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, polymeric nanocarriers, nanoemulsions, encapsulated microbiome-active systems, and stimuli-responsive carriers, emphasizing their potential to improve compound stability, skin retention, controlled release, and target-site precision. Translational limitations are critically addressed, including strain and formulation specificity, insufficient long-term safety data, incomplete nanocarrier toxicology, regulatory ambiguity, and the need for personalization according to hormonal, metabolic, and microbiome profiles. Overall, microbiome-directed bioactive compounds combined with precision delivery systems represent a promising, but still evolving, strategy for delaying skin aging and restoring cutaneous homeostasis. Full article

Probiotic strains with multifunctional skin-beneficial properties represent promising candidates for next-generation cosmetic ingredients. In this study, a systematic stepwise screening strategy was applied to an in-house bacterial library comprising 302 isolates to identify candidates with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, wound-healing, and skin barrier-supportive activities. From this library, 33 strains were selected based on preliminary assessments and subjected to comprehensive in vitro evaluation. Cell viability and cytotoxicity assays confirmed the safety of all selected strains in RAW264.7 macrophages and HaCaT keratinocytes. Several strains exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging activity and significantly inhibited nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Among the selected candidates, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus DM073 demonstrated the most potent anti-inflammatory activity, whereas Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DM043 exhibited the greatest wound-healing capacity. All five selected strains displayed antimicrobial activity against Cutibacterium acnes. Furthermore, selected strains, particularly Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DM175 and Ligilactobacillus salivarius DM079, enhanced the expression of skin barrier-related genes, including zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin (OCLN), claudin-1 (Cla-1), and filaggrin (FLG), and partially restored their expression under TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced inflammatory conditions. Selected strains also reduced the expression of inflammatory chemokines in stimulated keratinocytes. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the selected probiotic strains possess complementary multifunctional activities associated with skin health. In particular, DM073 exhibited superior anti-inflammatory activity, DM043 showed strong wound-healing potential, and DM175 demonstrated remarkable skin barrier-supportive effects. These strain-specific properties support their potential application in the development of probiotic-derived postbiotic cosmetic ingredients for skin soothing, barrier reinforcement, skin recovery, and microbiome-friendly skincare formulations. Further studies are warranted to evaluate their efficacy and safety in advanced skin models and clinical cosmetic applications. Full article

Myocardial infarction remains a leading cause of heart failure owing to the limited regenerative capacity of adult cardiac tissue, underscoring the need for biomimetic therapeutic platforms that combine structural support with biological functionality. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a multifunctional electrospun cardiac patch by integrating decellularized neonatal porcine myocardial extracellular matrix (dECM), gelatin, and microbiota-derived postbiotics for cardiac tissue engineering. The fabricated patches were comprehensively characterized in terms of their morphology, mechanical properties, biodegradation behavior, antibacterial activity, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro biocompatibility. Postbiotics derived from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum EIR/IF-1 exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, strong antioxidant capacity, and significant anti-inflammatory activity through the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators and upregulation of IL-10 expression. Moreover, they protected H9c2 cardiomyoblasts from oxidative stress, promoted COL1A1 expression, and supported ECM remodeling. The fabricated electrospun cardiac patches exhibited a homogeneous nanofibrous architecture, mechanically suitable properties (Young’s modulus ~4 MPa), controlled biodegradation over 7 days, favorable cell viability, and maintained the biological functionality of the incorporated postbiotics. Overall, the synergistic integration of tissue-specific dECM and microbiota-derived postbiotics yielded a multifunctional biohybrid cardiac patch with favorable structural and biological properties, supporting its potential as a promising platform for myocardial regeneration and next-generation cardiac tissue engineering. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic inflammatory diseases resulting from complex interactions between host genetics, environmental factors, immune dysregulation, and the gut microbiome. Among environmental exposures, antibiotics have emerged as important factors of IBD risk and disease course because of their profound effects on intestinal microbial communities. This review synthesizes current evidence on the class-specific effects of antibiotics on IBD, integrating epidemiological, mechanistic, and clinical studies to examine how different antibiotic classes influence disease susceptibility, progression, and microbiome recovery. Current evidence indicates that antibiotic-associated IBD risk varies according to antibiotic class, cumulative exposure, age at exposure, and antimicrobial spectrum, with broad-spectrum and anti-anaerobic agents showing the strongest associations. Mechanistically, antibiotics promote dysbiosis by depleting beneficial commensal bacteria, disrupting microbial metabolite production, expanding pathobionts and the intestinal resistome, and impairing epithelial barrier integrity and immune homeostasis. The review also discusses microbiome-preserving and microbiome-restorative approaches, including antimicrobial stewardship, fecal microbiota transplantation, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and dietary interventions, as potential strategies to mitigate antibiotic-associated dysbiosis. Overall, the evidence highlights the class-specific effects of antibiotics in IBD and underscores the importance of microbiome-informed antimicrobial stewardship and precision therapeutic strategies to optimize patient outcomes while minimizing long-term disruptions of host–microbiome homeostasis. Full article