COMMENTARY

Inflammatory bowel disease

Probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: is it all gut flora modulation?

S Ghosh, D van Heel, R J Playford

Gastroentrology Section, Division of Medicine, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor S Ghosh
Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Ducane Rd, London W12 0NN, UK; s.ghosh{at}imperial.ac.uk

---

Understanding probiotic action may permit modulation of the immune system, both locally and systemically

---

Keywords: colitis; probiotics; inflammatory bowel disease; dendritic cells

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

There is considerable public, media, and scientific interest in "natural" products, including probiotics, in modulating intestinal inflammation and health.¹ Intestinal microflora are intimately involved in the generation of immunocompetent cells and tuning the balance between T helper 1 (Th₁) and Th₂ immunity during the development of the gut associated immune system. It is now generally accepted that the intestinal bacterial flora contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) along with mucosal immune dysregulation and genetic susceptibility. Considerable research is focused on modifying the intestinal flora with probiotic bacteria to attenuate inflammatory activity and prevent relapses in ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and pouchitis. Although both Lactobacillus species and Bifidobacterium species are frequently used, the optimum use of probiotics in IBD requires greater understanding of their effects on the immune system.

A rationale for the use of probiotics in IBD stems from reports of dysbiosis . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Is the mucosal route of administration essential for probiotic function? Subcutaneous administration is associated with attenuation of murine colitis and arthritis

B Sheil, J McCarthy, L O’Mahony, M W Bennett, P Ryan, J J Fitzgibbon, B Kiely, J K Collins, and F Shanahan
Gut 2004 53: 694-700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wallace, B. (2009). Clinical Use of Probiotics in the Pediatric Population. Nutr Clin Pract 24: 50-59 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Baba, N., Samson, S., Bourdet-Sicard, R., Rubio, M., Sarfati, M. (2008). Commensal bacteria trigger a full dendritic cell maturation program that promotes the expansion of non-Tr1 suppressor T cells. J. Leukoc. Biol. 84: 468-476 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• De Preter, V., Vanhoutte, T., Huys, G., Swings, J., De Vuyst, L., Rutgeerts, P., Verbeke, K. (2007). Effects of Lactobacillus casei Shirota, Bifidobacterium breve, and oligofructose-enriched inulin on colonic nitrogen-protein metabolism in healthy humans. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 292: G358-G368 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Marteau, P (2006). Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics: ecological treatment for inflammatory bowel disease?. Gut 55: 1692-1693 [Full Text]  
• Lukas, M., Bortlik, M., Maratka, Z. (2006). What is the origin of ulcerative colitis? Still more questions than answers.. Postgrad. Med. J. 82: 620-625 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Luyer, M. D., Buurman, W. A., Hadfoune, M., Speelmans, G., Knol, J., Jacobs, J. A., Dejong, C. H. C., Vriesema, A. J. M., Greve, J. W. M. (2005). Strain-Specific Effects of Probiotics on Gut Barrier Integrity following Hemorrhagic Shock. Infect. Immun. 73: 3686-3692 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Rook, G A W, Brunet, L R (2005). Microbes, immunoregulation, and the gut. Gut 54: 317-320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shanahan, F. (2005). Physiological Basis for Novel Drug Therapies Used to Treat the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases I. Pathophysiological basis and prospects for probiotic therapy in inflammatory bowel disease. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 288: G417-G421 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• (2004). Probiotics for gastrointestinal disorders. DTB 42: 85-88 [Abstract] [Full Text]