Probiotics and Necrotizing Enterocolitis

ABSTRACT

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common serious disease of the gastrointestinal tract in preterm infants. Although the pathogenesis of NEC is completely unknown, enteral bacterial growth plays in such disease. The immature development of the preterm gut and the exposure to the neonatal intensive care unit environment along with associated treatments promotes inappropriate intestinal colonization with a predominance of pathogenic organisms. Probiotics are the dietary supplements, containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeast and may offer potential benefits for preterm infants by increasing mucosal barrier function, improving nutrition, up-regulation of the immune system, reducing mucosal colonization by potential pathogens, and altering the key components of intestinal inflammation. Large randomized controlled trials have shown its effectiveness in the probiotics of the prophylaxis for NEC and mortality. However, important questions remain in establishing the clinical applications for the probiotics, including the optimal duration of administration as well as preferred probiotics dose and species. Further, there is a need to understand the interaction of the probiotics and gut. More additional clinical studies are needed to determine the safety and efficacy of the probiotics in the prophylaxis of NEC.