Use of probiotics in the fight against Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

After the discovery of Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori), and the evidence of its relationship with gastric diseas-es, antibiotic-based therapies were developed, which efficacy was however limited by antibiotic resistance and lack of patient compliance. A vaccine would over-come these drawbacks, but currently there is not any H. pylori vaccine licensed. In the frame of the studies aimed at finding alternative therapies or at increasing the efficacy of the current ones and/or reducing their side effects, the investigation on the use of probiotics plays an interesting role. In vitro and preclinical stud-ies have shown the feasibility of this approach. Several clinical trials indicated that administration of probiot-ics can reduce the side effects of H. pylori eradication treatment, increasing tolerability, and often increases the overall efficacy. The results of these trials vary, likely reflecting the variety of probiotics assessed and that of the eradication treatment, as well as the differ-ences in the geographic area that imply different H. py-lori strains distribution, host susceptibility, and therapy efficacy. In conclusion, the use of probiotics appears promising as an adjuvant for the current H. pylori erad-ication treatment, though it still requires optimization.