The Gut Microbiota and Human Health with an Emphasis on the Use of Microencapsulated Bacterial Cells

Abstract

<jats:p>The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining health. Alterations of the gut bacterial population have been associated with a number of diseases. Past and recent studies suggest that one can positively modify the contents of the gut microbiota by introducing prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and other therapeutics. This paper focuses on probiotic modulation of the gut microbiota by their delivery to the lower gastrointestinal tract (GIT). There are numerous obstacles to overcome before microorganisms can be utilized as therapeutics. One important limitation is the delivery of viable cells to the lower GIT without a significant loss of cell viability and metabolic features through the harsh conditions of the upper GIT. Microencapsulation has been shown to overcome this, with various types of microcapsules available for resolving this limitation. This paper discusses the gut microbiota and its role in disease, with a focus on microencapsulated probiotics and their potentials and limitations.</jats:p>

Metabolomics in diabetes research

“…Insulin-deprived T1DM and T2DM patients exhibited elevated levels of hippurate, dimethylamine or trimethylamine-N-oxide (Messana et al 1998, Zuppi et al 2002, although a separate study observed lower levels of hippurate and 3-hydroxyhippurate among pre-diabetic individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (Zhao et al 2010b). The human gut microbiota has an important role in health, which has been comprehensively discussed by several authors (Nicholson et al 2005, Fujimura et al 2010, Prakash et al 2011 and is outside the focus of the present review.…”

Effect of Orally Administered Microencapsulated FA-Producing L. fermentum on Markers of Metabolic Syndrome: An In Vivo Analysis

“…Probiotics are dietary supplements containing bacteria which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host [14,20]. Probiotics, as natural compounds, are generally considered safe, but can also be tested for set-out safety parameters [21].…”

“…Probiotics, as natural compounds, are generally considered safe, but can also be tested for set-out safety parameters [21]. A number of studies have investigated bacterial strains for a range of conditions, including infections, allergies and metabolic disorders such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease [14]. Promising research focuses on the microbial secretion and production of beneficial biologically active enzymes and proteins, including: ornithine decarboxylase for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and accelerated cell apoptosis [22], bile salt hydrolase for hypercholesterolemia [23;24], and bile transport and tolerance proteins for the efficient delivery of probiotics [25].…”

“…APA microencapsulation relies on a polyelectrolyte complexation mechanism for the association of alginate and PLL. Alginate is a natural biocompatible polymer, extracted from brown algae, that is increasingly being used in the biotechnology industry [14]. Alginate is an unbranched polysaccharide containing 1,4′-linked β-D-mannuronic acid and α-L-guluronic acid blocks interdispersed with regions of the alternating structure, β-Lmannuronic acid-α-L-guluronic acid blocks.…”

“…Unfortunately, probiotic survival incorporated in foods is usually low due to the harsh environment (low pH, digestive enzymes, bile) of the GIT. Microencapsulation in polymer membranes, such as alginate-polylysine-alginate (APA) has been shown to successfully protect live bacterial cells for oral delivery [8,11,14]. Specifically, the microencapsulation of FAE bacteria has demonstrated a higher viable cell count delivery through the GIT, allowing for a higher FA bioavailability [8,9,11].Previous research by our group has demonstrated that microencapsulated Lactobacillus fermentum ATCC 11976 (L.f. 11976) can be used as a probiotic formulation in the context of cholesterol management in a Bio F1B hypercholesterolemic Golden Syrian hamster model [9].…”