Balancing reactive oxygen species generation by rebooting gut microbiota

Reactive oxygen species (ROS; free radical form O-2(center dot-), superoxide radical; OH center dot, hydroxyl radical; ROO center dot, peroxyl; RO center dot, alkoxyl and non-radical form O-1(2), singlet oxygen; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide) are inevitable companions of aerobic life with crucial role in gut health. But, overwhelming production of ROS can cause serious damage to biomolecules. In this review, we have discussed several sources of ROS production that can be beneficial or dangerous to the human gut. Micro-organisms, organelles and enzymes play crucial role in ROS generation, where NOX1 is the main intestinal enzyme, which produce ROS in the intestine epithelial cells. Previous studies have reported that probiotics play significant role in gut homeostasis by checking the ROS generation, maintaining the antioxidant level, immune system and barrier protection. With current knowledge, we have critically analysed the available literature and presented the outcome in the form of bubble maps to suggest that the probiotics help in controlling the ROS-specific intestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colon cancer. Finally, it has been concluded that rebooting of the gut microbiota with probiotics, postbiotics or faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can have crucial implications in the structuring of gut communities for the personalized management of the gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.

Automated summary

This article introduces the crucial role of ROS in gut health and discusses several sources of ROS production, as well as the role of probiotics in maintaining gut homeostasis and controlling ROS-related intestinal diseases.