Probiotics as a functional food ingredient in allergic diseases: regulation of CD4+ T helper cell differentiation

Abstract

Allergic diseases are increasing worldwide, associating with increased health costs and decreased quality of life. Allergy is immune-related diseases caused by an allergic immune response to innocuous substance in the environment. At present, research has focussed on the study of the relevance to the microbiome and the phenotypes of allergy, including the relationships among the gastrointestinal microbiome, immune function, and allergic sensitisation. Probiotics as functional food ingredient are thought to secrete functional metabolites that have antibacterial effects on ameliorating intestinal health and CD4+ T helper cells-mediated immunity. This review will summarise the role of probiotics in the immune regulation and flora balance, highlighting recent advances in our understanding of the imbalance of Th subsets and cytokine leading to the immunopathology of allergic reactions. Finally, we discussed the unresolved problems and future research directions in order to promote the clinical application of probiotics immunotherapy.

Keywords:

• Allergy
• probiotics
• functional food
• CD4+ T cells

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was funded by grants from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [Grant No. 2019M661567] and the DERBY CARE Medicine Science Foundation.