SUMMARYTreatment of chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is difficult due to the ambiguity surrounding their precise etiology. Complex interaction of genetic, microbial and environmental factors leads to sustained activation of the mucosal immune system resulting in active inflammation. Despite the efficacy of conventional therapy, significant side effects can occur, highlighting the need for novel treatment approaches to IBD. Since gut microflora appears to play a significant role in IBD, manipulation of its composition and activity by administering beneficial bacteria -probiotics, has been identified as a potential therapeutic option. Probiotic bacteria are able to modify and improve the intestinal environment and subsequently reduce the severity of intestinal inflammation associated with IBD. Clinical evidence suggest that probiotics can maintain remission in Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) but there are no convincing reports on the effectiveness in patients with more severe active forms of IBD. This review will explore various mechanisms how probiotics may affect IBD and summarize the current knowledge regarding the role of probiotics in IBD.

Raspberry fruit exhibits numerous beneficial effects for veterinary and human medicine. One of those effects is antimicrobial activity, because of its diverse chemical composition. Adequate processing of plant material is the most important part of examining their activities. Processing conditions affect the separation of chemical substances in the test sample i.e. different methods can lead to separation of different active principles. Raspberry juice was produced by filtration. Raspberry pomace, the residue from the pressing of raspberries for juice production was extracted with ethanol and ether. The aim of this study was to determine the most suitable extraction procedure in order to obtain extract with the highest antimicrobial potential. The results of well diffusion method indicate that raspberry juice and ethanol extract of raspberry pomace have shown higher antimicrobial potential in comparison to ether extract.

The intestine habitat is the natural collection of symbiotic microorganisms. The bacterial population enables many permanent metabolic activities in this environment. Inside the intestine of mammals there are an extended genome of millions of bacterial genes named microbiome. In recent years, there has been an increased interest of scientists to discover the place and the role of bio-ecological content and modulation of gut microbiota in a host organism using prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics, which may have a great benefit for human health.

During the last decade, the important role of gut microflora as a special organ of the gastrointestinal system in the metabolism of drugs is well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the gut microecological population with enzymatic systems, especially beta-lyase, in the metabolism of paracetamol in mice. Two groups of 20 white male laboratory mice BALB/c, body weight 32+/-1.5 kg, were treated orally with neomycin sulphate (500 mg/kg in saline solution) and saline solution (10 ml/kg) twice daily for three days. After the treatment, the animals were given paracetamol dissolved in saline solution (200 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. The total amount of excreted paracetamol in 8 hours? collected urine was unchanged. A difference between treated and control mice was observed regarding a highly significant reduction in the excretion of 3-methylthiometabolites. A decrease in the excretion of thiomethyl metabolites was found in the control group compared to the experimental mice. Gut microflora had a great influence on the formation of metabolic precursors, thiomethyl-conjugates, and their oxidabile products. It is obvious that the ecosystem of gut microflora has an important role in the metabolism of paracetamol resulting in a significant reduction in the excretion of 3-methylthioparacetamol by urine, the glucuronide and sulphate.