Potential of Escherichia coli Probiotics for Improved Health and Disease Management

Abstract

Although natural gut microbiota containsEscherichia coli as a commensal, this bacterium, along with other members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, are usually known for their pathogenic potential. Interestingly, E. coli colonizes first and remains all through life, and in fact, some strains possess beneficial properties such as antibacterial colicin secretion. Among the beneficial strains, E. coli Nissle, isolated in 1917, has been the most extensively explored strain. Adaptability to survive under diverse conditions coupled with facile genetic manipulations enabled the design of E. coli strains with properties to deliver antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor molecules. Moreover, genetically modified E. coli strains secreting enzymes for converting sucrose and fructose into insulin and mannitol, respectively, were very effective in preventing the onset of metabolic disease by acting as synbiotics. Thus, E. coli is emerging as a very potent probiotic platform for developing strains with the potential of controlling many metabolic and multifactorial diseases, including cancer.

Harnessing the potential of probiotics in the treatment of alcoholic liver disorders

“…Mutaflor, a branded preparation, is formulated using this active strain and is largely distributed in various countries like Australia, Europe, and Canada (Soundararajan et al, 2019;Pradhan and Weiss, 2020). Besides, Symbioflor 2 and Colinfant are some other commercially available products of E. coli strains (Jacobi and Malfertheiner, 2011;Naresh Kumar and Archana, 2021). EcN is effectively used in the treatment of neuroinflammatory disorders, gastrointestinal disorders like ulcerative colitis, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome (Secher et al, 2017;Manzhalii et al, 2022;Zhao et al, 2022).…”

“…One study demonstrated the in-vitro and in-vivo protective effect of fabricated EcN in the form of matrices consisting of curli nanofibers against dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice model (Naresh Kumar and Archana, 2021). As mentioned above, EcN is extensively researched for the treatment of intestinal diseases, but its mechanistic approaches to communicating with the host were not established.…”