Abstract
The use of probiotics is one of the emerging lines of treatment for wound healing. This systematic review aimed to summarize currently available evidence on the effect of oral or enteral probiotic therapy on skin or oral mucosal wound healing in humans. To verify the developments in this field and the level of available scientific evidence, we applied a broad search strategy with no restrictions on wound type, target population, probiotic strain, or intervention protocol used. This review included seven studies involving 348 individuals. Four studies reported positive outcomes for healing improvement after probiotic therapy, and none of the studies reported adverse effects or a marked increase in wound healing time. The positive or neutral results observed do not generate strong evidence regarding the effectiveness of probiotics for wound healing. However, they suggest a promising field for future clinical research where the probiotic strains used, type of wounds, and target population are controlled for.
Highlights
Skin and mucosal wounds encompass a wide variety of injuries, including a surgical scar, pressure ulcer, extensive burn, and an open abdominal wound
An emerging treatment line for skin wounds and conditions is the use of probiotics, defined by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” [7]
El-Ghazely et al found that paediatric patients undergoing probiotic therapy had a significantly lower need for grafting; when grafting was not performed, there was a significant decrease in the time required for complete healing of the wound [26]
Summary
Skin and mucosal wounds encompass a wide variety of injuries, including a surgical scar, pressure ulcer, extensive burn, and an open abdominal wound. Healing is an inherent process in all wounds, regardless of the cause. It is a systemic, dynamic, and expected process related to the general conditions of the organism [1], and can be negatively or positively influenced by local and systemic factors. The local factors that hinder wound healing include ischemia, infection, surgical technique, foreign body, and oedema [2], while systemic factors include vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition [3,4], and other conditions such as diabetes mellitus [5] and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases [1]. An emerging treatment line for skin wounds and conditions is the use of probiotics, defined by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” [7]
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