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Nutraceuticals in the Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota: Current Status and Future Directions

Summary

This research examines how natural supplements like probiotics, medicinal mushrooms, and plant extracts can help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. A balanced gut microbiome is crucial for overall health and can impact various conditions from digestive issues to mental health. Impacts on everyday life: • Better understanding of how diet and supplements can improve gut health • New natural alternatives to antibiotics for treating gut-related issues • Potential prevention strategies for common diseases through gut health maintenance • Improved options for managing digestive disorders naturally • Greater awareness of the connection between gut health and overall wellbeing

Background

The gut microbiota (GM) plays a crucial role in human physiology, being responsible for numerous functions from barrier effect to metabolism regulation, immune system modulation, and central nervous system influence. GM can affect energy balance, synthesize essential vitamins, and ferment fibers into short-chain fatty acids. Dysbiosis (GM imbalances) has been associated with multiple intestinal and extra-intestinal disorders.

Objective

This review aims to summarize all in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies demonstrating the possibility to positively modulate the intestinal microbiota using probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, essential oils, fungus and officinal plants.

Results

The review found that various nutraceutical interventions can effectively modulate gut microbiota. Prebiotics and probiotics showed established benefits but with some limitations. Postbiotics demonstrated potential but require more research. Specific fungi like Hericium erinaceus and Ganoderma lucidum showed promising effects on microbiota modulation. Essential oils demonstrated selective antimicrobial properties that could help maintain healthy gut ecology. Medicinal plants showed varying degrees of effectiveness in modulating gut microbiota composition.

Conclusion

Clinical studies investigating the ability to impact the intestinal microbiota, especially using fungus, officinal and aromatic plants or their extracts, are required. This knowledge could lead to effective microbiome modulations that might support the pharmacological therapy of most non-communicable diseases in the near future.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Pharmacology,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.3389/fphar.2022.841782
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