Abstract
The microenvironment in the stomach is different from other digestive tracts, mainly because of the secretion of gastric acid and digestive enzymes, bile reflux, special mucus barrier, gastric peristalsis, and so on, which all contribute to the formation of antibacterial environment. Microecological disorders can lead to gastric immune disorders or lead to the decrease of dominant bacteria and the increase of the abundance and virulence of pathogenic microorganisms and then promote the occurrence of diseases. The body performs its immune function through innate and adaptive immunity and maintains microbial balance through the mechanism of immune homeostasis. Microecological imbalance can lead to the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and damage mucosal barrier and immune system. The coexistence of gastric microorganisms (including viruses and fungi) may play a synergistic or antagonistic role in the pathogenesis of gastric diseases. Probiotics have the ability to compete with intestinal pathogens, increase the secretion of immunoglobulin A (IgA), stimulate the production of mucin, bacteriocin, and lactic acid, regulate the expression and secretion of cytokines, and regulate the growth of microbiota, which all have beneficial effects on the host microbial environment. At present, most studies focused on Helicobacter pylori, ignoring other stomach microbes and the overall stomach microecology. So, in this article, we reviewed advances in human gastric microecology, the relationship between gastric microecology and immunity or gastric diseases, and the treatment of probiotics in gastric diseases, in order to explore new area for further study of gastric microorganisms and treatment of gastric diseases.
Highlights
The gastrointestinal tract contains the largest microbiome in the human body, accounting for 80% of the total microbial biomass
This study showed that the microbial diversity and bacterial abundance of atrophic gastritis (AIG) patients were higher than those of normal stomachs, and Streptococcus accounted for the largest proportion in the investigated group [74]
The beneficial effects of probiotic bacteria on host microbial environment may be due to their potential impact on the digestive tract microbial community and the intestinal immune system, including their ability to compete with intestinal pathogens, increase the secretion of Immunoglobin A (IgA), regulate the expression and secretion of cytokine, stimulate mucin, bacteriocins, and lactic acid production, and adjust the microbiota growth [97–99]
Summary
The gastrointestinal tract contains the largest microbiome in the human body, accounting for 80% of the total microbial biomass. The total number of bacteria carried in the intestines of a healthy person is estimated to be 1014, which is constituting a microbiome and an ecosystem in dynamic balance as a whole [2]. The number of bacteria from the stomach to the large intestine is different, and the bacterial concentration presents an increasing state successively. There is the least count of bacteria in the stomach. Little is known about the relationship between microorganisms and these physiological processes and how they affect health and disease throughout the digestive tract. We reviewed advances in human gastric microecology, the relationship between gastric microecology and immunity or gastric diseases, and the treatment of probiotics in gastric diseases, in order to explore new area for further study of gastric microorganisms and treatment of gastric diseases
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