Can the Therapeutic Spectrum of Probiotics be Extended: Exploring Potential of Gut Microbiome

Abstract

Natural therapeutic microorganisms provide a potent alternative healthcare treatment nowadays, with the potential to prevent several human diseases. These health-boosting living organisms, probiotics mostly belong to Gram-positive bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces, Bacillus and Enterococcus. Initiated almost a century ago, the probiotic application has come a long way. The present review is focused on the potential therapeutic role of probiotics in ameliorating multiple infections, such as upper respiratory tract infections and viral respiratory infections, including COVID-19; liver diseases and hepatic encephalopathy; neurological and psychiatric disorders; autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis. Apart from these, the therapeutic exacerbations of probiotics in urinary tract infections have been extremely promising, and several approaches are reviewed and presented here. We also present upcoming and new thrust areas where probiotic therapeutic interventions are showing promising results, like faecal microbial transplant and vaginal microbial transplant.

Keywords: Bifidobacterium; FMT; Lactobacillus; Probiotics; VMT; genitourinary tract; gut microbiota; therapeutics; vaginal dysbiosis.