Selection of New Probiotics for Endometrial Health

In this study, vaginal microbiome was divided in five biotypes, being four of them dominated by lactobacilli and considered as healthy (pH < 5.0) and defining the group IV with higher pH (pH > 5.0) and higher diversity. In a healthy status, microbiota is balanced and forms a stable ecological unit dominated by Lactobacillus species, which fixes pH below 5.0 and controls non-desirable groups. In a pathogenic process, the microbiome shifts to a dysbiotic state, in which lactobacilli drop, pH is increased to values above 4.5 and other groups such as Gardnerella, Atopobium, Prevotella, and Streptococcus, among others, can overgrow (Srinivasan et al., 2012). Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a product of anaerobe growth, which include acetate and propionate, together with a depletion of lactic acid due to lower lactobacilli cell counts (Yeoman et al., 2013). Along with their ability to lower the pH, Lactobacillus strains have other potential characteristics that can exert control over unbalanced microorganisms such as the production of hydrogen peroxide (Sgibnev and Kremleva, 2015), bacteriocins (Ocaña et al., 1999b; Aroutcheva et al., 2001), and their capacity of adhesion (Coudeyras et al., 2008). Several studies have demonstrated there is bacterial colonization beyond the vagina, showing that the upper reproductive tract is not sterile (Baker et al., 2018). Recently, a study surveying the female reproductive tract confirmed the existence of a microbiot...
Source: Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research