CLINICAL USES OF PROBIOTICS FOR STABILIZING THE GUT MUCOSAL BARRIER -SUCCESSFUL STRAINS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

Probiotic bacteria are used to treat disturbed intestinal microflora a nd increased gut permeability which are characteristic to many intesti nal disorders. Examples include children with acute rotavirus diarrhoe a, subjects with food allergy, subjects with colonic disorders and pat ients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy and sometimes changes associated with colon cancer development. In all such disease states altered inte stinal microflora, impaired gut barrier and different types of intesti nal inflammation are present. Successful probiotic bacteria are able t o survive gastric conditions and colonize the intestine, at least temp orarily, by adhering to the intestinal epithelium. Such probiotic micr oorganisms appear to be promising candidates for the treatment of clin ical conditions with abnormal gut microflora and altered gut mucosal b arrier functions. They are also promising ingredients to future functi onal foods and clinical foods for specific disease states provided tha t basic requirements for strains and clinical studies are carefully fo llowed.