Advancements in the impact of human microbiota and probiotics on leukemia

The human gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem that plays a crucial role in promoting the interaction between the body and its environment. It has been increasingly recognized that the gut microbiota has diverse physiological functions. Recent studies have shown a close association between the gut microbiota and the development of certain tumors, including leukemia. Leukemia is a malignant clonal disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth of one or more types of blood cells, which is the most common cancer in children. The imbalance of gut microbiota is linked to the pathological mechanisms of leukemia. Probiotics, which are beneficial microorganisms that help maintain the balance of the host microbiome, play a role in regulating gut microbiota. Probiotics have the potential to assist in the treatment of leukemia and improve the clinical prognosis of leukemia patients. This study reviews the relationship between gut microbiota, probiotics, and the progression of leukemia based on current research. In addition, utilizing zebrafish leukemia models in future studies might reveal the specific mechanisms of their interactions, thereby providing new insights into the clinical treatment of leukemia. In conclusion, further investigation is still needed to fully understand the accurate role of microbes in leukemia.

Probing the Potential: Exploring Probiotics as a Novel Frontier in Cancer Prevention and Therapeutics

Cancer has emerged as one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, with a consistent rise in the number of cases observed over the past few decades. The rising mortality rates associated with cancer have transformed it into a significant global challenge. Despite the presence of various anti-cancer drugs, the complete eradication of cancer remains an elusive goal. The numerous undesirable effects associated with cancer therapy further emphasize the importance of developing an alternative technique of cancer treatment. Recent research has established the beneficial effects of a probiotic diet or supplementation against cancer without displaying any detrimental consequences. An alteration in the gut microbiome balance in humans can result in the development of various diseases, including cancer. Probiotics play a pivotal role in restoring the balance of gut flora, potentially contributing to cancer prevention. Furthermore, they have the capacity to curb the invasion and dissemination of infections that carry the risk of triggering cancer. Probiotics can combat cancer in various ways, such as by eliciting and boosting the immune response, secreting metabolites, preventing cancer cells from metastasizing, inhibiting carcinogenic chemicals, and mitigating their toxicity, etc. The present review intends to outline the significance of probiotics and their underlying mechanisms in combating various cancer types. Additionally, this review highlights the benefits of probiotic use in pre- and post-operative cancer patients.

Bioinformatics and its role in the study of the evolution and probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria

Due to their numerous well-established applications in the food industry, there have been many studies regarding the adaptation and evolution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in a wide variety of hosts and environments. Progress in sequencing technology and continual decreases in its costs have led to the availability of LAB genome sequence data. Bioinformatics has been central to the extraction of valuable information from these raw genome sequence data. This paper presents the roles of bioinformatics tools and databases in understanding the adaptation and evolution of LAB, as well as the bioinformatics methods used in the initial screening of LAB for probiotic potential. Moreover, the advantages, challenges, and limitations of employing bioinformatics for these purposes are discussed.

Chemopreventive role of probiotics against cancer: a comprehensive mechanistic review

Probiotics use different mechanisms such as intestinal barrier improvement, bacterial translocation and maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis to treat cancer. Probiotics' ability to induce apoptosis against tumor cells makes them more effective to treat cancer. Moreover, probiotics stimulate immune function through an immunomodulation mechanism that induces an anti-tumor effect. There are different strains of probiotics, but the most important ones are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) having antagonistic and anti-mutagenic activities. Live and dead probiotics have anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-oxidant and anti-metastatic properties which are useful to fight against different diseases, especially cancer. The main focus of this article is to review the anti-cancerous properties of probiotics and their role in the reduction of different types of cancer. However, further investigations are in progress to improve the efficiency of probiotics in cancer treatment.

Do Bacteria Provide an Alternative to Cancer Treatment and What Role Does Lactic Acid Bacteria Play?

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to 2022 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 10 million deaths have been reported in 2020 and it is estimated that the number of cancer cases world-wide could increase to 21.6 million by 2030. Breast, lung, thyroid, pancreatic, liver, prostate, bladder, kidney, pelvis, colon, and rectum cancers are the most prevalent. Each year, approximately 400,000 children develop cancer. Treatment between countries vary, but usually includes either surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Modern treatments such as hormone-, immuno- and antibody-based therapies are becoming increasingly popular. Several recent reports have been published on toxins, antibiotics, bacteriocins, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, phenylpropanoids, phenylflavonoids, purine nucleosides, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and enzymes with anticancer properties. Most of these molecules target cancer cells in a selective manner, either directly or indirectly through specific pathways. This review discusses the role of bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria, and their metabolites in the treatment of cancer.

The anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharides in vitro: A review

Probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a particular group of gram-positive bacteria that are usually involved in natural ferments and widely used in food manufacture industry. Most of them can produce exopolysaccharides (EPS), surface carbohydrate polymers with diverse biological functions. LAB EPS are potentially complementary and alternative medicines against cancer. EPS show anti-proliferative effects on a variety of tumor cells from intestine, liver, breast, etc. They modulate the development of tumors through various mechanisms including promoting apoptosis, inducing cell cycle arrest as well as anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidative, anti-angiogenesis and anti-inflammatory effects. Bacterial origin, existence form, chemical structure, purity et al. are important factors affecting the anticancer effects of EPS. The future challenge lies in elucidating the precise structure-function relationship of LAB EPS. Besides, more in vivo studies and further clinical trials are indispensable to confirm the anticancer effects.

Anticancer effect of bacteria on cervical cancer: Molecular aspects and therapeutic implications

Cervical cancer is the second common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths among women in less developed countries. It has been indicated that changes in vaginal microbiome play an important role in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer. However, studies have shown that probiotics play an effective role in fighting cancer by affecting pathogenic bacteria, inducing cancer cells apoptosis, and other anticancer activities. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is reviewing the anticancer effect of cervicovaginal bacteria and their potential for cervical cancer treatment.

Probiotics-mediated suppression of cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Probiotics can be used as an adjuvant for cancer prevention or/and treatment through their abilities to modulate intestinal microbiota and host immune response. Although most of the recent reviews have focused on the potential role of probiotics against colon cancer, only few of them include the probiotic effect on extraintestinal cancers. The present review covers the most important findings from the literature published during the past 20 months (from January 2015 to August 2016) regarding the probiotics-mediated suppression of both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal cancers and the underlying mechanisms.

RECENT FINDINGS

A comprehensive literature search in Pubmed, Science direct and Google scholar databases was conducted to locate all relevant articles that investigated the effect of probiotics on prevention/treatment of both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal cancers. Different mechanisms for the beneficial effects of probiotics against cancer were also discussed, mainly via modulation of gut microbiota which thereby influences host metabolism and immunity.

SUMMARY

Despite laboratory-based studies having demonstrated encouraging outcomes that probiotics possess antitumor effects, the benefits should not be exaggerated before we get more results from human clinical trials. These are very important before the medical community can accept the use of probiotics as an alternative therapy for cancer control.

Dairy propionibacteria prevent the proliferative effect of plant lectins on SW480 cells and protect the metabolic activity of the intestinal microbiota in vitro

Plant lectins are specific carbohydrate-binding proteins that are widespread in legumes such as beans and pulses, seeds, cereals, and many plants used as farm feeds. They are highly resistant to cooking and digestion, reaching the intestinal lumen and/or blood circulation with biological activity. Since many legume lectins trigger harmful local and systemic reactions after their binding to the mucosal surface, these molecules are generally considered anti-nutritive and/or toxic substances. In the gut, specific cell receptors and bacteria may interact with these dietary components, leading to changes in intestinal physiology. It has been proposed that probiotic microorganisms with suitable surface glycosidic moieties could bind to dietary lectins, favoring their elimination from the intestinal lumen or inhibiting their interaction with epithelial cells. In this work, we assessed in vitro the effects of two representative plant lectins, concanavalin A (Con A) and jacalin (AIL) on the proliferation of SW480 colonic adenocarcinoma cells and metabolic activity of colonic microbiota in the absence or presence of Propionibacterium acidipropionici CRL 1198. Both lectins induced proliferation of colonic cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas ConA inhibited fermentative activities of colonic microbiota. Pre-incubation of propionibacteria with lectins prevented these effects, which could be ascribed to the binding of lectins by bacterial cells since P. acidipropionici CRL 1198 was unable to metabolize these proteins, and its adhesion to colonic cells was reduced after reaction with Con A or AIL. The results suggest that consumption of propionibacteria at the same time as lectins could reduce the incidence of lectin-induced alterations in the gut and may be a tool to protect intestinal physiology.

Konjac glucomannan, a promising polysaccharide of Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch in health care

In recent year, konjac glucomannan (KGM) has attracted more attention due to its non-harmful and non-toxic properties, good biocompatibility, biodegradability and hydrophilic ability. Moreover, KGM and their derivatives have several importances in the multidirectional research areas such as nutritional, biotechnological and fine chemical fields. In the previous article, we have reviewed the nutritional aspects of KGM covering the various aspects of functional foods, food additives and their derivatives. This review aims at highlighting the diverse biomedical research conducted on KGM in the past ten years, covering therapies for anti-obesity, regulation in lipid metabolism, laxative effect, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic to wound dressing applications. Moreover, this review deals with global health aspects of KGM and the disparate health related factors associated with diseases and their control measures.

Immunomodulatory effects of Lactobacillus strains: emphasis on their effects on cancer cells

Lactobacilli are a group of normal microbiota whose immunomodulatory effects have been known for a long time. Recently, they have gained more attention for their direct and indirect effects on cancer cells. Several cell line experiments, animal model studies as well as clinical trials have indicated their inhibitory effects on cancer initiation and progression. Different lactobacilli strains could modulate innate and adoptive immune system. Such effects have been documented in modulation of function of T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages as well as cytokine production. In this review, the various immunomodulatory effects of lactobacilli on tumor cells as well as their direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells are discussed.