Medication provoked dysbiosis: emerging therapies targeting the micobiome

Abstract

The intestinal microbiome is a dynamic, diverse, and variable community of microorganisms that plays a very fundamental role in digestion, immunity, and overall health. It influences the host in digestion, production of necessary metabolites, tuning of the immune response, and acting as a barrier against pathogenic organisms. Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits upon ingestion, especially playing highly important role in the restoration of microbial balance. They improve intestinal barriers, regulate immune responses, and produce short-chain fatty acids important for gut health maintenance. Drugs, especially antibiotics and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), can have quite significant alterations in microbial diversity, mostly a reduction of the population of beneficial bacteria as a consequence of their specific pharmacological action. This review focuses on different pharmaceutical-induced changes in gut microbiota, how disrupted microbiomes further promote the development and progression of various life-threatening diseases. The role of probiotics, prebiotics and post-biotics in restoring eubiosis, a healthy microbiome is discussed.