Harnessing postbiotics for liver health: Emerging perspectives

With emerging scientific breakthroughs, it has been established that gut microbiome dysbiosis has an undeniable correlation with hepatic diseases through complex interlinked metabolic pathways. There's always been a need for new therapeutic options to deal with the rising prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma etc. Several researchers have studied the role of probiotics and prebiotics in altering gut microbiome to tackle microbial dysbiosis which has been proven to be the cause of several metabolic disorders. However, postbiotics remain an untapped potential due to the limited literature on their intake and associated benefits. These bioactive compounds include short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, propionate and acetate, exopolysaccharides, inactivated strains such as Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacillus coagulans etc., have hepatoprotective effects which are highlighted in this article. This review aims to discuss the findings of postbiotics research, their classification and their diverse role in serving as a therapeutic option for liver diseases.