Probiotics: Immunomodulation and Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy

Lactic Acid Bacteria as Probiotics: Characteristics, Selection Criteria and Role in Immunomodulation of Human GI Muccosal Barrier

“…Furthermore, some studies suggest that probiotics could induce detrimental effects. Therefore, more research, especially in the form of well-designed clinical trials, is needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics (Ezendam and Van Loveren, 2008). With evolving knowledge, efective probiotic therapy will be possible in the future.…”

Bacterial Probiotics their Importances and Limitations: A Review

“…The potential mechanisms by which probiotic agents might exert their protective effect include: antagonism by the production of substances that inhibit or kill the pathogen, competition with the pathogen for adhesion sites or nutritional sources; immunemodulation of the host; and inactivation of microbial toxin (Other mechanisms by which probiotics may exert protection is through a recuperation of mucosal barrier function when disturbed, trapping pathogens on their surface and stimulating mucus production, specific probiotic bacteria have been reported to modulate local and systemic immune responses [20][21][22][23][24]. Although the mechanisms of immune modulation are not fully understood it is known that bacterial components are recognized by the immune system through their interaction with specific Toll-like receptors resulting in the modulation of immune responses [25].…”

Immune-modulatory effect of probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis NCC2818 in individuals suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis to grass pollen: an exploratory, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

“…5 The ability of certain probiotic strains to modulate the immune system is currently an area of intense research. [6][7][8] The beneficial roles of probiotics, especially of the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, in allergic diseases have been investigated with increasing interest in animal models and human clinical trials [9][10][11] where probiotics are sought to influence the gut microbiota composition and restore homeostasis of the host immune system. 12,13 Several probiotic strains have previously been evaluated for their effect in AR.…”