Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Mar;35(3):289-310.
doi: 10.1007/s12325-018-0673-5. Epub 2018 Mar 1.

A Review of Microbiota and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Future in Therapies

Bruno K Rodiño-Janeiro  1 , María Vicario  2   3 , Carmen Alonso-Cotoner  4   3 , Roberto Pascua-García  5 , Javier Santos  6   7
Affiliations
Review

A Review of Microbiota and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Future in Therapies

Bruno K Rodiño-Janeiro et al. Adv Ther. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most frequent digestive disorders, is characterized by chronic and recurrent abdominal pain and altered bowel habit. The origin seems to be multifactorial and is still not well defined for the different subtypes. Genetic, epigenetic and sex-related modifications of the functioning of the nervous and immune-endocrine supersystems and regulation of brain-gut physiology and bile acid production and absorption are certainly involved. Acquired predisposition may act in conjunction with infectious, toxic, dietary and life event-related factors to enhance epithelial permeability and elicit mucosal microinflammation, immune activation and dysbiosis. Notably, strong evidence supports the role of bacterial, viral and parasitic infections in triggering IBS, and targeting microbiota seems promising in view of the positive response to microbiota-related therapies in some patients. However, the lack of highly predictive diagnostic biomarkers and the complexity and heterogeneity of IBS patients make management difficult and unsatisfactory in many cases, reducing patient health-related quality of life and increasing the sanitary burden. This article reviews specific alterations and interventions targeting the gut microbiota in IBS, including prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, non-absorbable antibiotics, diets, fecal transplantation and other potential future approaches useful for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of IBS.

Keywords: Diet; FODMAP; Irritable bowel syndrome; Microbiota; Non-absorbable antibiotic; Prebiotic; Probiotic; Synbiotic; Treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Drossman DA, Hasler WL. Rome IV—functional GI disorders: disorders of gut–brain interaction. Gastroenterology. 2016;150:1257–1261. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2016.03.035. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barbara G, Feinle-Bisset C, Ghoshal UC, Quigley EM, Santos J, Vanner S, et al. The intestinal microenvironment and functional gastrointestinal disorders. Gastroenterology. 2016;150(6):1305–1318. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2016.02.028. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gazouli M, Wouters MM, Kapur-Pojskić L, Bengtson M-B, Friedman E, Nikčević G, et al. Lessons learned—resolving the enigma of genetic factors in IBS. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016;13(2):77. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2015.206. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, Farmer AD, Fukudo S, Mayer EA, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primer. 2016;2:16014. doi: 10.1038/nrdp.2016.14. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ohman L, Simrén M. Pathogenesis of IBS: role of inflammation, immunity and neuroimmune interactions. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010;7:163–173. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2010.4. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms