“Double-Edged Sword” Effect of the Gut Microbiota Biomodulator, Probiotics: A Key Player in Health and Disease

The human body as an excellent culture medium provides nutrients and supports environment for the growth of a wide variety of microorganisms. The constituents of microbial species are known as the human microbiota. The highest bacterial population is found in the colon (gut). Since the gut is essentially sterile at birth, a well-balanced microbial intestinal colonization in early postnatal life is necessary for the development of appropriate immune responses and to establish immune homeostasis later in life. Thus, the microbiota plays essential roles in the maintenance and development of the immune system, in the metabolism and in the body homeostasis. As a result, the microbial communities residing in the human gut microbiota play significant roles in human health maintenance. Although the components and functional characteristics of a 'healthy' gut microbiota remain to be elucidated, any perturbations in the microbial colonization have been associated with an increased risk of numerous diseases. Emerging published and ongoing experimental/clinical evidences suggest that gut microbiota biomodulators, such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics helps to prevent various disease conditions. Under different dysbiosis conditions, probiotics also act as 'surrogate' colonizers to prevent numerous immune-, metabolic-, mediated diseases [1]. This editorial perspective aims to discuss on targeting the gut microbiota composition through the use of gut microbiota biomodulators, probiotics in the management of aberrant initial gut colonization and subsequent consequences for the health maintenance or disease conditions. Acquired knowledge and gathering experience on the specific roles of gut microbiota in acquisition, prevention and treatment of disease will help us to make up the possible alteration to maintain, re-establish and enhance health in the human host for a long time.