Probiotic therapy as a promising strategy for gestational diabetes mellitus management.

INTRODUCTION: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has become the most common pregnancy medical complication, and its prevalence has increased in recent years. The GDM treatment primarily relies on adopting healthy eating habits, physical exercise, and insulin therapy. However, using probiotics to modulate the gut microbiota has been the subject of clinical trials as a promising therapeutic strategy for GDM management. AREAS COVERED: Due to the adverse effects of gut dysbiosis in women with GDM, strategies targeting the gut microbiota to mitigate hyperglycemia, low-grade inflammation, and adverse pregnancy outcomes have been explored. Probiotic supplementation may improve glucose metabolism, lipid profile, oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood pressure in women with GDM. Furthermore, decreased fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance, and inflammatory markers, such as TNF-α and CRP, as well as increased total antioxidant capacity, lipid profile modulation, and improved blood pressure in women with GDM, are some of the important results reported in the available literature. EXPERT OPINION: To fill the knowledge gap, further studies are needed focusing on modulating gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity and their systemic repercussions in GDM.

Limosilactobacillus fermentum Strains as Novel Probiotic Candidates to Promote Host Health Benefits and Development of Biotherapeutics: A Comprehensive Review.

Fruits and their processing by-products are sources of potentially probiotic strains. Limosilactobacillus (L.) fermentum strains isolated from fruit processing by-products have shown probiotic-related properties. This review presents and discusses the results of the available studies that evaluated the probiotic properties of L. fermentum in promoting host health benefits, their application by the food industry, and the development of biotherapeutics. The results showed that administration of L. fermentum for 4 to 8 weeks promoted host health benefits in rats, including the modulation of gut microbiota, improvement of metabolic parameters, and antihypertensive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. The results also showed the relevance of L. fermentum strains for application in the food industry and for the formulation of novel biotherapeutics, especially nutraceuticals. This review provides evidence that L. fermentum strains isolated from fruit processing by-products have great potential for promoting host health and indicate the need for a translational approach to confirm their effects in humans using randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

A Mix of Potentially Probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum Strains Alters the Gut Microbiota in a Dose- and Sex-Dependent Manner in Wistar Rats.

Multi-strain Limosilactobacillus (L.) fermentum is a potential probiotic with reported immunomodulatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the composition, richness, and diversity of the gut microbiota in male and female rats after treatment with a multi-strain of L. fermentum at different doses. Thirty rats (fifteen male and fifteen female) were allocated into a control group (CTL), a group receiving L. fermentum at a dose of 108 CFU (Lf-108), and a group receiving L. fermentum at a dose of 1010 CFU (Lf-1010) for 13 weeks. Gut microbiota and serum cytokine levels were evaluated after L. fermentum treatment. Male CTL rats had a lower relative abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae and Prevotella and a lower alpha diversity than their female CTL counterparts (p < 0.05). In addition, male CTL rats had a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio than female CTL rats (p < 0.05). In female rats, the administration of L. fermentum at 108 CFU decreased the relative abundance of Bifidobacteriaceae and Anaerobiospirillum and increased Lactobacillus (p < 0.05). In male rats, the administration of L. fermentum at 1010 CFU decreased the F/B ratio and increased Lachnospiraceae and the diversity of the gut microbiota (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and the alpha-diversity of gut microbiota were negatively correlated with serum levels of IL1ß (r = -0.44) and TNFα (r = -0.39), respectively. This study identified important changes in gut microbiota between male and female rats and showed that a lower dose of L. fermentum may have more beneficial effects on gut microbiota in females, while a higher dose may result in more beneficial effects on gut microbiota in male rats.

Targeting Gut Microbiota with Probiotics and Phenolic Compounds in the Treatment of Atherosclerosis: A Comprehensive Review.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease. Dysregulated lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation are the major mechanisms implicated in the development of AS. In addition, evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis plays an important role in atherogenesis, and modulation of the gut microbiota with probiotics and phenolic compounds has emerged as a promising strategy for preventing and treating AS. It has been shown that probiotics and phenolic compounds can improve atherosclerosis-related parameters by improving lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation. In addition, these compounds may modulate the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota and improve atherosclerosis. The studies evaluated in the present review showed that probiotics and phenolic compounds, when consumed individually, improved atherosclerosis by modulating the gut microbiota in various ways, such as decreasing gut permeability, decreasing TMAO and LPS levels, altering alpha and beta diversity, and increasing fecal bile acid loss. However, no study was found that evaluated the combined use of probiotics and phenolic compounds to improve atherosclerosis. The available literature highlights the synergistic potential between phenolic compounds and probiotics to improve their health-promoting properties and functionalities. This review aims to summarize the available evidence on the individual effects of probiotics and phenolic compounds on AS, while providing insights into the potential benefits of nutraceutical approaches using probiotic strains, quercetin, and resveratrol as potential adjuvant therapies for AS treatment through modulation of the gut microbiota.