Abstract
Health benefits attributed to probiotics have been described for decades. They include the treatment and the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, vaginal and urinary infections and allergies. Saccharomyces boulardii, a species of yeast widely distributed, has been described as a biotherapeutic agent since several clinical trials displayed its beneficial effects in the prevention and the treatment of intestinal infections and in the maintenance of inflammatory bowel disease. All these diseases are characterized by acute diarrhoea. Administration of the yeast in combination or not with an antibiotherapy has shown to decrease significantly the duration and the frequency of diarrhoea. Experimental studies elucidated partially the molecular mechanisms triggered to improve the host health. The discovery of its anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory activities in correlation with the advances in the understanding of mucosal immunology opens a new field of perspectives in S. boulardii therapeutic applications.
Highlights
The intestine contains a complex and dynamic microflora including more than 2000 micro-organism species coexisting in a complex equilibrium with the host
Experimental effects of Saccharomyces boulardii These effects have been assessed in several studies and showed that S. boulardii exerts beneficial mechanisms in animal models displaying Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) as well as in pathogenic or opportunistic micro-organism infection models such as Clostridium difficile, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Citrobacter rodentium and Candida albicans (Chen et al, 2006; Czerucka et al, 1994; Dahan et al, 2003; Dalmasso et al, 2006b; Jawhara and Poulain, 2007; Mumy et al, 2007; Wu et al, 2008)
The same effect is reported with the iNOS inhibitor. These results suggest that iNOS inhibition by S. boulardii may be beneficial in the treatment of diarrhoea and/or IBD associated with overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) (Girard et al, 2005)
Summary
The intestine contains a complex and dynamic microflora including more than 2000 micro-organism species coexisting in a complex equilibrium with the host. The term “probiotic” has been firstly defined by Fuller as “a live microbial feed supplement which beneficially affects the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance” (Fuller, 1989). This definition has been extended to health and probiotics were redefined as “live micro-organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host” (FAO/WHO, 2001). The experimental studies which have lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms used by the yeast to prevent and/or treat gastrointestinal diseases will be extensively described
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
