Modulation of the gut microbiota by prebiotic fibres and bacteriocins

The gut microbiota is considered an organ that co-develops with the host throughout its life. The composition and metabolic activities of the gut microbiota are subject to a complex interplay between the host genetics and environmental factors, such as lifestyle, diet, stress and antimicrobials. It is evident that certain prebiotics, and antimicrobials produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB), can shape the composition of the gut microbiota and its metabolic activities to promote host health and/or prevent diseases. In this review, we aim to give an overview of the impact of prebiotic fibres, and bacteriocins from LAB, on the gut microbiota and its activities, which affect the physiology and health of the host. These represent two different mechanisms in modulating the gut microbiota, the first involving exploitative competition by which the growth of beneficial bacteria is promoted and the latter involving interference competition by which the growth of pathogens and other unwanted bacteria is prevented. For interference competition in the gut, bacteriocins offer special advantages over traditional antibiotics, in that they can be designed to act towards specific unwanted bacteria and other pathogens, without any remarkable collateral effects on beneficial microbes sharing the same niche.