No abstract

Colorectal cancer is closely associated with environment, diet and lifestyle. Normally it is treated with surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy but increasing systemic toxicity, resistance and recurrence is prompting scientists to devise new potent and safer alternate prophylactic or therapeutic strategies. Among these, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and metabiotics are being considered as the promising candidates. Metabiotics or probiotic derived factors can optimize various physiological functions of the host and offer an additional advantage to be utilized even in immunosuppressed individuals. Interestingly, anti colon cancer potential of probiotic strains has been attributable to metabiotics that have epigenetic, antimutagenic, immunomodulatory, apoptotic, and antimetastatic effects. Thus, it’s time to move one step further to utilize metabiotics more smartly by avoiding the risks associated with probiotics even in certain normal/or immuno compromised host. Here, an attempt is made to provide insight into the adverse effects associated with probiotics and beneficial aspects of metabiotics with main emphasis on the modulatory mechanisms involved in colon cancer.

Colorectal cancer, the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, is a lifestyle disease where diet and gut microbiome contribute intricately in its initiation and progression. Prophylactic bio-interventions mainly probiotics offer an alternate approach towards reducing or delaying its progression. Therefore, the present study was designed wherein a robust protocol for the isolation, characterization, and identification of indigenous probiotics having antigenotoxic and anticancerous activity was followed along with their prophylactic potential assessment in early experimental colorectal carcinogenesis. Among forty-six isolated lactic acid bacterial strains, only three were selected on the basis of antigenotoxicity against N,N-Dimethyl dihydrazine dihydrochloride and 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide and probiotic attributes. All three selected probiotic strains exhibited anticancerous potential as is evident by the reduced Aberrant Crypt Foci, reduced fecal pH, enhanced fecal lactic acid bacteria and altered fecal enzymes (β-glucuronidase, nitroreductase, β-glucosidase) that modulated gut microbiota and microenvironment resulting into restored histoarchitecture of the colon. The results are a clear indicator of the prophylactic potential of selected indigenous probiotics which may be used as an alternative prophylactic biological therapy against colon carcinogenesis particularly in highly susceptible individuals.

BackgroundColorectal cancer has been found to be attenuated either with prophylactic manipulation of gut microbiome with probiotics or celecoxib, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug mainly by suppressing early pro-carcinogenic markers in various experimental studies. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the prophylactic potential of combinatorial administration of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus) and celecoxib in experimental colon carcinogenesis.MethodsSix groups of Spraugue Dawely rats received probiotics L.rhamnosus GG or/and L.acidophilus in combination with celecoxib one week prior to the inducement of tumor by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) and the treatment continued for 18 weeks. Prophylactic potentials of probiotics and celecoxib were determined by employing various methods such as tumor incidence, tumor burden, tumor multiplicity, apoptosis, caspase activity, expression of proto-oncogene K-ras and tumor suppressor p53 gene in colonic tumors.ResultsInterestingly, it was found that one week prior supplementation of both probiotics and celecoxib reduced tumor burden, tumor multiplicity, down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, proto-oncogene K-ras and up-regulated pro-apoptotic Bax as well as tumor suppressor p53 in L.rhamnosus GG + celecoxib+DMH animals compared with counter controls and DMH-treated.ConclusionsIt can be concluded that such combinatorial approach may be useful in reducing the burden and severity of disease in highly susceptible individuals but needs to be validated clinically.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-4999-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Low birth weight is a multi-factorial problem with a wide spectrum of health related problems from its origin to later in life. It is one of the important causes of high infant's mortality and morbidity rate in developing countries. The rate of low birth weight continues to increase; putting more children at risk of health related consequences, because it has an independent effect on child health. It contributes to the costs to the family, society and the world as a whole in keeping Low birth weight infants alive and developing them .Neonatal hospital costs (antenatal cortico steroids, new modes of ventilation, exogenous surfactants) are high and it remains high after hospital discharge. as children grow older costs continues to be high and complications and their nature may change. Reduction in low birth weight mortality have greatly contribute to the reduction in overall mortality .According to W.H.O. concept "Health for all" neonatal and infants mortality rates have been decreased over the past few decades. Identification of risk factors of low birth weight is important in mediating the health consequences of LBW after birth and also in reducing the prevalence of LBW. In the recent decades, much progress has been made to improve the survival of LBW infants. Improvement in NICU services have greatly reduced the risk of LBW mortality .So efforts to reduce LBW mortality rate in developing countries requires greater attention on understanding and addressing the risk factors for low birth weight and, consequences of LBW.. The purpose of this paper is to provide a background and concept of related risk factors and consequences of LBW, as it relates to survival, growth and wellbeing of infants throughout the life.