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Review
. 2021 Apr 13;10(4):322.
doi: 10.3390/biology10040322.

Multi-Strain Probiotics: Synergy among Isolates Enhances Biological Activities

Iliya D Kwoji  1 , Olayinka A Aiyegoro  2   3 , Moses Okpeku  1 , Matthew A Adeleke  1
Affiliations
Review

Multi-Strain Probiotics: Synergy among Isolates Enhances Biological Activities

Iliya D Kwoji et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

The use of probiotics for health benefits is becoming popular because of the quest for safer products with protective and therapeutic effects against diseases and infectious agents. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance among pathogens had prompted restrictions over the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and growth promotion, especially in animal husbandry. While single-strain probiotics are beneficial to health, multi-strain probiotics might be more helpful because of synergy and additive effects among the individual isolates. This article documents the mechanisms by which multi-strain probiotics exert their effects in managing infectious and non-infectious diseases, inhibiting antibiotic-resistant pathogens and health improvement. The administration of multi-strain probiotics was revealed to effectively alleviate bowel tract conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inhibition of pathogens and modulation of the immune system and gut microbiota. Finally, while most of the current research focuses on comparing the effects of multi-strain and single-strain probiotics, there is a dearth of information on the molecular mechanisms of synergy among multi-strain probiotics isolates. This forms a basis for future research in the development of multi-strain probiotics for enhanced health benefits.

Keywords: antagonism; antibiotics; cell-cell communication; probiotics; synergy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(created with BioRender; https://app.biorender.com/illustrations/edit/6001622bd73fad00a4e81c08, accessed on 28 November 2020) shows the mechanism of actions of probiotics: the intake of probiotics stimulates an increase in the secretion of mucus by goblet cells, mobilization of intraepithelial leucocytes, and tightening of the tight junctions to protect against the invasion of pathogens. The increase in mucus secretion and improvement of gut microbiota enhances competitive displacement and inhibition of pathogens adhesion to the gut epithelial surface. Furthermore, the action of bioactive substances such as lysozyme and cytokines stimulate phagocytosis by macrophages.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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