Folate from probiotic bacteria and its therapeutic applications

Folate, an essential water soluble vitamin B9 that cannot be synthesized naturally by the bodily function. Dietary sources or probiotic-folates are the two biological modes for acquiring the target vitamin which aids DNA synthesis and repair. Probiotics are known for their divergent health benefits and have garnered significant interest. Particularly in microbial strains that produce folate offers a promising way to enhance the level of folate. Notably, folate-producing probiotic strain includes Lactiplantibacillus, Lactococcus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus. As an emerging source of health benefits, folate producing probiotics helps in improving the gut microbiota for overall well-being of human body. On the other side, chemically synthesized folic acid were not highly advantageous as they lacks absorption, conversion and excretion. Hence, usage of microbial-folate are safer as it can easily undergo absorption and reduces severe side effects. The present review mainly focus on folate one-carbon metabolism, its significance in human health, folate deficiency and malabsorption, adverse effects and folate synthesis from probiotic bacterial strains, and also toxicological impacts. In particular, the beneficiary role of these probiotic strains were found to be associated with therapeutic applications in several diseases such as autoimmune disorder, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), wound healing, drug delivery and cancer.