Probiotics as an Adjuvant for Management of Gastrointestinal Cancers through their Anti-inflammatory Effects: A Mechanistic Review

Abstract

The immune system's role in maintaining the health of the gastrointestinal (GI) system is like a double-edged sword. Simultaneously, it could reduce the risk of pathogen invasion by the inflammatory response. But, if regulated improperly, it could also propagate oncogenic signaling that transfers a normal cell into the malignant counterpart. Thus far, several mechanisms have been proposed, such as the immune system could disturb the GI homeostasis and increase the survival and proliferative capacity of cells leading to the formation of a wide range of malignancies. Among the endless list of these mechanisms, inflammatory responses are currently fascinating research areas, as this response regulation is with the gut microbiota. Given this, the manipulation of microbiota might be a convenient and efficient way to prevent GI cancers. Probiotics could potentially achieve this by overturning the milieu in favor of normal gut homeostasis. In addition to the safety of use of probiotics, along with their potential ability to interact with immune system responses, led these bacteria to be viewed differently from dietary supplements. In the present review, we aimed to look into the mechanisms through which probiotics modulate the immune responses to stimulate anti-inflammatory responses and promote immune surveillance against neoplastic cells.

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“…Therefore, a better understanding of PCSK9's role in the cancerous pathways is extremely important ( 7 ). Since this marker has a significant role in different parts of body, it has been used as a pharmacological target in the past few years ( 8 - 10 ).…”

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