The human-microbiome superorganism and its modulation to restore health

Abstract

Microbiome is the community of microorganism that co-live with a host. The human being is the result of the integration of its genome and the coexistence with millions of microorganisms throughout its evolutionary history. Human-microbiome association can be considered a step of integration in evolution, constituting a superorganism. Many emergent diseases are related to the loss of part of this microbiome and its restoration can be achieved by different strategies. Gut microbiome imbalance is particularly associated with numerous inflammatory, immune and nervous system-related diseases by a communication pathway called microbiome–brain axis. Modulation of microbiome by administering prebiotics, like arabinoxylans, and synbiotics is a plausible treatment for dysbiosis, the regulation of neurotransmitters and alleviation of neurological manifestations.

Keywords:

• Microbiome
• prebiotics
• probiotics
• neurodevelopmental disorders
• Bifidobacterium
• microbiome–brain axis

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Prof. Brenda Burgos for their assistance and corrections to improve English use.

Disclosure statement

The author has no interests which might be perceived as posing a conflict or bias.

Additional information

Funding

The author would like to thank CONICET and ANPYCT-FONCYT (grant PICT 2015-0606) for the financial support.