UPDATE ON SOME INFORMATION ABOUT PROBIOTICS FOR HUMAN HEALTH

GENERAL SUMMARY

Compiling several of the latest reports from early 2025 shows that probiotics not only improve digestive health but also play an extensive role in immune regulation, energy metabolism, maintaining the intestinal epithelial barrier, and even positively affect mental health. Recent studies demonstrate their personalized therapeutic effects, integration in preventive medicine, and support for many systemic diseases. Specific strains such as L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Akkermansia muciniphila, and L. rhamnosus have been proven to offer many substantial benefits, paving the way for the era of "microbiome-based therapeutics" in modern medicine.[1]

1. Next-generation probiotics (NGP) and live biotherapeutic products (LBP)

The integration of probiotics into personalized therapies is revolutionizing healthcare by combining probiotic therapy with individual genetic, metabolic, and microbiome profiles. Selected probiotics are aimed at modulating the microbiota, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) to help maintain gut barrier function, regulate immune response, and metabolic activities. Next-generation probiotics (NGP – genetically modified live organisms) and live biotherapeutic products (LBP – biologic products specifically designed for therapeutic purposes) increase specificity and expand therapeutic potential, including impacts on the gut-brain axis and improvements in cognition and overall health.[1]

2. Benefits of probiotics in the gut–brain relationship

One study indicated that probiotics can reduce negative mood but daily monitoring is needed, as previous studies based only on pre- and post-intervention assessments cannot reliably detect changes caused by probiotics on the emotional states of healthy individuals.

This 8-week experimental study recorded significant improvements in cognitive function and mood in the probiotic group. Strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium longum are capable of reducing anxiety and depression levels via modulation of the brain–gut–microbiota axis, particularly decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) and stimulating serotonin production.[2]

3. Immune regulatory and anti-inflammatory roles of probiotics

Probiotics can activate the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 while reducing IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Notably, Bacillus clausii, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Bifidobacterium longum increase gut barrier integrity, immune regulation, epithelial barrier enhancement, and restore gut microbial balance, restricting pathogenic microbes.[3]

4. Multi-organ effects and emerging concepts

A review summarized over 100 clinical trials on the multi-organ effects of probiotics on the digestive tract, liver, skin, vagina, mental and oral health. Probiotics like Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus plantarum show potential to reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea, improve fatty liver disease, atopic dermatitis, and mild anxiety disorders. The author discussed emerging concepts such as the oral–gut–brain axis and future directions including high-resolution microbiome profiling, host–microbe interaction research, organoid models, and artificial intelligence in probiotic studies.[4]

5. Expanding role of probiotics in human health

Probiotics are increasingly acknowledged for their expanding role beyond the gut, affecting the lungs, skin, and urinary system. Recent studies focus on immune regulatory mechanisms, antioxidant effects, and maintenance of epithelial barriers, thereby helping prevent and treat many chronic illnesses. Notable achievements confirm the medical application potential of new strains like Akkermansia muciniphila for obesity and type 2 diabetes, Weizmannia coagulans BC99 improving alcohol-induced liver injuries, and Lactobacillus helveticus GCL1815 strengthening immunity and reducing cold incidence. Additionally, probiotics are used in reproductive support, skincare, and anti-aging via collagen synthesis promotion and UVB protection. Current research trends exploit the microbiome–health relationship, opening prospects for developing personalized therapies based on individual microbiome profiles.[5]

6. Global development trends and clinical applications of probiotics

An author analyzed data from 3,674 publications, indicating that current research focuses on using probiotics for inflammatory conditions (including diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, dermatitis, periodontitis, and bacterial vaginosis), metabolic disorders (obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia), mental health (depression), and cancer. The author concluded that probiotics are becoming a cornerstone in personalized preventive medicine. The international cooperation map shows the US, Europe, and East Asia leading in both the number of studies and citations.[6]

MAIN REFERENCES

1.   Manan M. A. (2025). The Role of Probiotics in Personalized Therapeutics. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950194625002651

2.   Johnson K. V. A. (2025). Probiotics Reduce Negative Mood Over Time. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-025-00123-z

3.   Yassine F. (2025). The Role of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics in Systemic Immunomodulation. Frontiers in Systems Biology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-biology/articles/10.3389/fsysb.2025.1561047/full

4.   Cho M. Y. (2025). Recent Advances in Therapeutic Probiotics: Insights from Clinical Trials. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40261032/

5.   Stavrou et al. (2025). The Expanding Role of Probiotics in Human Health. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11990260/

6.   Research Status and Development Trends of Probiotics in Clinical Applications (2000--2025). Frontiers in Nutrition. 2025. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1650883/full

OTHER REFERENCES

8.   Bhatia A. (2025). Probiotics and Synbiotics: Applications, Benefits, and Mechanisms. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11910042/

9.   Mogoş G. F. R. (2025). Latest Findings Regarding the Role of Probiotics. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40647176/

10.        Ramírez A. (2025). Exploring the Future of Probiotics with Innovations in Biotechnology. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212429225012052

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