Considerable evidence suggests that insulin resistance is closely linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), leading to agents aiming at treating diabetes can be regarded as new neuroprotective strategies in PD, notably glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1). However, the extremely short half‐life of GLP‐1 due to degradation by the ubiquitous proteolytic enzyme limits its clinical application. In this study, we engineered the recombinant integrant probiotic strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) to create a strain EcN‐GLP‐1 that effectively delivers the heterologous GLP‐1 molecule. Subsequently, we assessed its neuroprotective effects on 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1, 2, 3, 6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)‐induced PD mice. We demonstrated that EcN‐GLP‐1 treatment could improve motor deficits, increase tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive neurons, suppress microglia and astrocyte activation, reduce brain and colon inflammation, and ameliorate colonic barrier function damaged by MPTP induction. Meanwhile, we confirmed that the oral administration of EcN‐GLP‐1 could restore the disturbance of gut microbiota in the MPTP‐induced PD mice, by reducing the relative abundances of Akkermansia and Oscillospira, and increasing the level of Prevotella in the gut. These results support further development of an engineered probiotic platform in which production of GLP‐1 for gut‐brain disorders, such as PD.

Ovarian cancer represents one of the most challenging gynecologic cancers which still has numerous unknowns on the underlying pathogenesis. In addition to the verified contributors such as genomic predisposition and medical history in the carcinogenesis, emerging evidence points out the potential role of vaginal microbiota in ovarian cancer. Recent studies have underlined the presence of vaginal microbial dysbiosis in cancer cases. Increasing research also indicates the potential correlations between vaginal microbes and cancer carcinogenesis, progression and treatment. Currently, compared with other gynecologic cancers, reports on the roles of vaginal microbiota in ovarian cancer remain scarce and fragmentary. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the roles of vaginal microbiota in various gynecologic diseases, particularly focusing on the potential mechanisms and possible applications of vaginal microbiota in ovarian cancer, giving insight into the involvement of vaginal microbiota in gynecologic cancer treatment.

The gut microbiota, a dynamic ecosystem composed of trillions of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, has been demonstrated to be involved in the maintenance of human well-being. Mounting evidence has indicated that the diet can be regarded as one of the most effective modulators to the composition and functionality of gut microbiota. While in turn, the gut microbiota profoundly influences the digestion of dietary components, the process of nutrient absorption, and energy storage. This symbiotic relationship between diet and gut microbiota further affects the host physiological functions, suggesting that any perturbation of it may cause varying degrees of discomfort in hosts. Therefore, the gut microbiota could serve as a bridge in the close interaction between dietary interventions and host health. Collectively, these suggestions indicate that targeting the diet could be a potential therapeutic strategy for human diseases via modulating the gut microbiota.Till now, probiotics/prebiotics have been generally proposed as dietary intervention strategies or adjuvant treatments for managing multifarious diseases, such as cancers, gastrointestinal disorders, enteric infections, immune-mediated allergic and autoimmune diseases, and psychiatric disorders. Although various hypotheses have demonstrated that probiotics/prebiotics supplementation plays health-promoting roles via targeting the gut microbiota and/or regulating the systemic immune and metabolic responses, the precise and common molecular mechanisms of these beneficial roles of dietary factors on the host health still need to be explored deeply.This current Research Topic brings twenty-three references together summarizing the recent developments pertaining to the characterization of probiotics (mainly Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces) isolated from different niches, the potential relevance of intestinal dysbiosis in the progression of host diseases, and the underlying mechanisms of dietary supplementations as novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of diseases by modulating the gut microbiota.The exploration of the influence of dietary/probiotics interventions in cancer treatment and adjuvant therapy and the associations between the gut dysbiosis and cancers, have been the focus of recent research. A randomized clinical trial performed by Xia et al. suggested a modified probiotic cocktail that contains L. plantarum MH-301, B. animalis subsp. Lactis LPL-RH, L. rhamnosus LGG-18, and L. acidophilus, could attenuate the severity of oral mucositis induced by chemo-radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It outlined that the efficacy of this cocktail was associated with