Diabetes mellitus is considered to be a global epidemic. The combination of genetic susceptibility and an unhealthy lifestyle is considered to be the main trigger of this metabolic disorder. Recently, there has been increased interest in the roles of gut microbiota as a new potential contributor to this epidemic. Research, in recent years, has contributed to an in-depth characterization of the human microbiome and its associations with various diseases, including metabolic diseases and diabetes mellitus. It is known that diet can change the composition of gut microbiota, but it is unclear how this, in turn, may influence metabolism. The main objective of this review is to evaluate the pathogenetic association between microbiota and diabetes and to explore any new therapeutic agents, including nutraceuticals that may modulate the microbiota. We also look at several mechanisms involved in this process. There is a clear, bidirectional relationship between microbiota and diabetes. Current treatments for diabetes influence microbiota in various ways, some beneficial, but others with still unclear effects. Microbiota-aimed treatments have seen no real-world significant effects on the progression of diabetes and its complications, with more studies needed in order to find a really beneficial agent.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most used analgesics and antipyretic agents in the world. Intoxication with APAP is the main cause of acute liver toxicity in both the US and Europe. Spore-forming probiotic bacteria have the ability to resist harsh gastric and intestinal conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effect of Bacillus (B) species (sp) spores (B. licheniformis, B. indicus, B. subtilis, B. clausii, B. coagulans) against hepatotoxicity induced by APAP in rats. A total of 35 rats were randomly divided into seven groups: group I served as control; group II received silymarin; group III received MegaSporeBiotic^TM (MSB); group IV received APAP and served as the model of hepatotoxicity; group V received APAP and silymarin; group VI received APAP and MSB; group VII received APAP, silymarin and MSB. The livers for histopathological examination and blood samples were collected on the last day of the experiment. We determined aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels and zonula occludens (ZO-1), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) expression. APAP overdose increased AST and ALT. It slowly decreased TAC compared to the control group, but pretreatment with silymarin and MSB increased TAC levels. Elevated plasma concentrations were identified for ZO-1 in groups treated with APAP overdose compared with those without APAP or receiving APAP in combination with silymarin, MSB or both. The changes were positively correlated with the levels of other proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β). In addition, histopathological hepatic injury was improved by preadministration of MSB or silymarin versus the disease model group. Bacillus sp spores had a protective effect on acute hepatic injury induced by APAP. Pretreatment with MSB resulted in a significant reduction in serum AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-1β, ZO-1, TAC and also hepatocyte necrosis, similar to the well-known hepatoprotective agent—silymarin.

There are limited neuroprotective strategies for various central nervous system conditions in which fast and sustained management is essential. Neuroprotection-based therapeutics have become an intensively researched topic in the neuroscience field, with multiple novel promising agents, from natural products to mesenchymal stem cells, homing peptides, and nanoparticles-mediated agents, all aiming to significantly provide neuroprotection in experimental and clinical studies. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), an α2 agonist commonly used as an anesthetic adjuvant for sedation and as an opioid-sparing medication, stands out in this context due to its well-established neuroprotective effects. Emerging evidence from preclinical and clinical studies suggested that DEX could be used to protect against cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and postoperative cognitive disorders. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at a post-transcriptional level, inhibiting the translation of mRNA into functional proteins. In vivo and in vitro studies deciphered brain-related miRNAs and dysregulated miRNA profiles after several brain disorders, including TBI, ischemic stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, providing emerging new perspectives in neuroprotective therapy by modulating these miRNAs. Experimental studies revealed that some of the neuroprotective effects of DEX are mediated by various miRNAs, counteracting multiple mechanisms in several disease models, such as lipopolysaccharides induced neuroinflammation, β-amyloid induced dysfunction, brain ischemic-reperfusion injury, and anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity models. This review aims to outline the neuroprotective mechanisms of DEX in brain disorders by modulating miRNAs. We address the neuroprotective effects of DEX by targeting miRNAs in modulating ischemic brain injury, ameliorating the neurotoxicity of anesthetics, reducing postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and improving the effects of neurodegenerative diseases.

Background: Nowadays, growing attention was being given to the alternative ways to prevent or treat diseases. Nutraceuticals are used increasingly for this purpose. Many of these are being used as alternative therapy. Classic therapy with synthetic drugs, although very effective, has many side effects. The term “nutraceuticals” refers to the link between the nutritional and pharmaceutical domains. Also, lately, many studies have been done to investigate the role of microbiota in maintaining health. There is the hypothesis that some of the health benefits of nutraceuticals are due to their ability to change the microbiota. The aim of this review was to emphasize the link between the most commonly used nutraceuticals, the microbiota and the health benefits.Methods: We selected the articles in PubMed, published up to July 2017, that provided information about most used nutraceuticals, microbiota and health benefits. In this review, we incorporate evidence from various types of studies, including observational,in vitroandin vivo, clinical studies or animal experiments.Results: The results demonstrate that many nutraceuticals change the composition of microbiota and can interfere with health status of the patients.Discussion: There is evidence which sustains the importance of nutraceuticals in people’s health through microbiota but further studies are needed to complete the assessment of nutraceuticals in health benefit as a consequence of microbiota’s changing.

In recent years, increased attention has been paid to the relationship between microbiota and various diseases, especially immune-mediated diseases. Because conventional therapy for many autoimmune diseases is limited both in efficacy and safety, there is an increased interest in identifying nutraceuticals, particularly probiotics, able to modulate the microbiota and ameliorate these diseases. In this review, we analyzed the research focused on the role of gut microbiota and skin in immunity, their role in immune-mediated skin diseases (IMSDs), and the beneficial effect of probiotics in patients with this pathology. We selected articles published between 2009 and 2019 in PubMed and ScienceDirect that provided information regarding microbiota, IMSDs and the role of probiotics in these diseases. We included results from different types of studies including observational and interventional clinical trials or in vivo and in vitro experimental studies. Our results showed that probiotics have a beneficial effect in changing the microbiota of patients with IMSDs; they also influence disease progression. Further studies are needed to better understand the impact of new therapies on intestinal microbiota. It is also important to determine whether the microbiota of patients with autoimmune diseases can be manipulated in order to restore homeostasis of the microbiota.

There are multiple concerns associated with methotrexate (MTX), widely recognized for anti-neoplastic and anti-inflammatory effects in life-threatening disease conditions, i.e., acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis, due to long-term side effects and associated toxicity, which limits its valuable potential. MTX acts as an inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase, leading to suppression of purine and pyrimidine synthesis in high metabolic and turnover cells, targeting cancer and dysregulated immune cells. Due to low discrimination between neoplastic cells and naturally high turnover cells, MTX is prone to inhibiting the division of all fast-dividing cells, causing toxicity in multiple organs. Nutraceutical compounds are plant-based or food-derived compounds, used for their preventive and therapeutic role, ascertained in multiple organ dysfunctions, including cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites take part in multiple physiological processes, their dysregulation being involved in disease pathogenesis. Modulation of gut microbiota by using nutraceutical compounds represents a promising therapeutic direction to restore intestinal dysfunction associated with MTX treatment. In this review, we address the main organ dysfunctions induced by MTX treatment, and modulations of them by using nutraceutical compounds. Moreover, we revealed the protective mechanisms of nutraceuticals in MTX-induced intestinal dysfunctions by modulation of gut microbiota.