Probiotics: mechanism of action, health benefits and their application in food industries

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• competitive exclusion of pathogens for adhesion sites, improvement of the intestinal mucosal barrier, gut immunomodulation, and neurotransmitter synthesis

• probiotics improve mucosal barrier functions, stimulate the immune system, reduce leakage of antigen through the mucosa, produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, increase the production of secretory IgA (exclude antigens from intestinal mucosa), degrade dietary antigen and up-regulate anti-inflammatory cytokines as IL-10

• precise mechanism is not entirely known

• The proposed mechanism for the antiallergic effect of probiotics is the augmentation of T helper cells (Th)1/Th2 immune balance by suppressing Th2 skewed immune response and favoring Th1 cell response

• explain that probiotics modulate the function of dendritic cells, which in turn have the ability peripheral Tregs. Tregs control the excess immune response and maintain a balance between Th1 and Th2 cells (Figure 3). Besides, lactobacilli stimulate regulatory T cells which play a paramount role in balancing immune response through the production of immunosuppressive cytokines and modulation of IgE, IgA, and IgG production

• improve mucosal barrier functions, stimulate the immune system, reduce leakage of antigen through the mucosa, produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, increase the production of secretory IgA (exclude antigens from intestinal mucosa), degrade dietary antigen and up-regulate anti-inflammatory cytokines as IL-10

• competitive exclusion of pathogens, improvement in intestinal barrier functions, immunomodulation in the host’s body, and production of neurotransmitters

• Probiotics compete with pathogens for nutrients and receptor-binding sites, making their survival difficult in the gut (Plaza-Diaz et al., 2019). Probiotics also act as anti-microbial agents by producing substances; short chain fatty acids (SCFA), organic acids, hydrogen peroxide (Ahire et al., 2021), and bacteriocins (Fantinato et al., 2019) thus decreasing pathogenic bacteria in the gut