Probiotics and inflammation: insights into gut-immune interactions

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota is a central regulator of mucosal and systemic immunity, and its disruption is strongly associated with chronic inflammatory disease. Probiotics defined as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host are increasingly used to modulate gut microbial communities and host immune responses. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that selected probiotic strains can reinforce barrier integrity, shape innate and adaptive immune cell function, and influence the production of immunoregulatory metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. At the clinical level, probiotics show the most convincing benefit in specific settings, including induction and maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis, prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and as adjuvant strategies in allergic and metabolic disease, although results remain heterogeneous across strains and indications. Here we synthesize current evidence on how probiotics influence gut-immune interactions, with a focus on mechanistic pathways linking microbial modulation to inflammation control and on the translational implications for immune-mediated diseases.