Prebiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible food substances that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Chemically, prebiotics are oligosaccharides and examples are inulin-type fructans, fructooligosacharides and oligofructoses, which are present in many fruits and vegetables.
Prebiotics resist digestion in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and are fermented by endogenous anaerobic micro-organisms in the colon to produce lactic acid and short chain carboxylic acids (e.g. acetic, butyric and propionic acid). This fermentation provides metabolic substrates to the cells of the colon, stimulating growth of the bifidobacteria population.
Prebiotics also promote the absorption of calcium and magnesium, and possibly other minerals and trace elements within the colon. Evidence is also emerging that they may reduce serum lipid, particularly triglycerides. They are also being investigated for a possible protective effect in bowel cancer, constipation, inflammatory bowel conditions, allergic dermatitis and lactose intolerance.

Friendly Bacteria!

If bacteria have ever gotten a warm welcome in medicine it's now: probiotics—the "friendly" bacteria. Probiotics, are live cultures of micro-organisms, usually bacteria, that, when ingested, survive passage through the upper gastrointestinal tract and have beneficial effects on the host. The most common bacteria used in probiotics include Lactobacillus species, bifidobacteria, some streptococci and other gram-positive cocci. These micro-organisms should resist gastric acid, bile salts and pancreatic enzymes, and adhere to and readily colonise the bowel where they displace potentially dangerous bacteria and create an environment that is unfavourable for the multiplication of such pathogens.

However, in Italy one probiotic product, a suspension of Bacillus subtilis spores manufactured by sanofi-aventis, has been available over the counter since 1999 for the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal disorders.

Uses suggested for probiotics include:

1. To reduce the incidence and severity of diarrhea
2. To reduce the risk of allergic conditions
3. To improve immune function
4. To manage inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease, uncreative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome
5. To prevent Helicobacter pylori gastritis
6. To reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance
7. To reduce vaginal infections
8. To decrease blood cholesterol
9. To protect against bowel cancer
   
   

Note: Probiotics and Prebiotics are not same. I am arranging some information about Prebiotics it will be published here very soon.

Information source: The Pharmaceutical Journal (Vol 278) 31 March 2007. Arrangement of the sentences and some words are changed to make it more interesting and easy.

Future Pharma Factories

In the near future, traditional barnyard animals might also be small, organic pharaceutical factories. Some animals have already been genetically altered to produce pharmaceuticals, and their products are being tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here are few examples of the possibilities:

1. a cow that produces milk containing lactoferrin, which can be used to treat human infections
   
2. a goat that produces milk containing antithrombin III, which can help prevent blood clotting in humans
   
3. a sheep that produces milk containing alpha- antitrypsin, which is used to treat cystic fibrosis.