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Co-culture of Living Microbiome with Microengineered Human Intestinal Villi in a Gut-on-a-Chip Microfluidic Device

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Pre- and probiotics for human skin.

Jean Krutmann¹

¹Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung at the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf gGmbH, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, D-4025 Düsseldorf, Germany. krutmann@rz.uni-duesseldorf.de

Clinics in Plastic Surgery

|November 22, 2011

Summary

The skin microbiota plays a beneficial role, similar to gut microflora. Research is exploring prebiotics and probiotics for selective skin microflora modulation beyond antibiotics.

Area of Science:

Dermatology
Microbiology
Immunology

Background:

The skin microbiota, barrier function, and innate immune system are intricately linked.
The skin's microbial community plays a beneficial role, analogous to gut microflora.
Antibiotic use for skin conditions has limitations in selectively modulating the microbiota.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current understanding of the cutaneous microbiota.
To summarize existing pre- and probiotic strategies for skin health.
To explore alternatives to antibiotics for managing skin microflora.

Main Methods:

Literature review of current research on skin microbiota.
Analysis of studies on prebiotics and probiotics for dermatological applications.

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Synthesis of information on selective microbial modulation techniques.

Main Results:

The skin microbiota is increasingly recognized for its crucial role in skin health.
Prebiotic and probiotic interventions show promise for targeted modulation of skin microflora.
Non-antibiotic strategies offer a more selective approach to managing skin microbial balance.

Conclusions:

Understanding the cutaneous microbiota is vital for developing novel therapeutic strategies.
Pre- and probiotics represent a growing area of interest for selective skin microflora modulation.
Future research should focus on optimizing these strategies for various skin conditions.