PROBIOTICS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract

The human body contains millions of diverse microorganisms that collectively make up the human microbiome. There are variations in the density of bacteria across body sites, and the composition of these microbial species is regulated by several factors including genetics, diet, infectious agents, and other environmental triggers. Pioneering research in this field hypothesized that host-microbe equilibrium is essential for the health of the host and that changes or dysbiosis within the equilibrium are associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases. Recent studies have utilized new sequencing technologies to draw an association between dysbiosis and inflammatory disease. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which synovial inflammation causes joint failure. Probiotics have the potential to stabilize the host-microbe equilibrium and decrease the inflammatory process. The available randomized clinical trials (RCTs) show that probiotics can reduce proinflammatory cytokines; however, the clinical effects of probiotics on RA disease activity remain unsettled.