Probiotics work by several different mechanisms. Acting as a barrier they line the intestinal tract close to the brush border and, through competitive inhibition, prevent other luminal bacteria from reaching the lamina propria and stimulating the mucosal immune system. Probiotics enhance mucus production so that patients will have a thicker mucus layer, which protects against invasive bacteria, and probiotics can alter the consistency of the mucus, thereby changing bacterial adherence patterns.
Probiotics cause the mucosal immune system in the patient's intestinal tract to secrete protective immunoglobulins (Ig) such as secretory IgA and a host of protective defensins and bacteriocins into the lumen. Further, probiotics alter the function of the mucosal immune system to make it more anti-inflammatory and less pro-inflammatory; specifically, probiotics can stimulate dendritic cells to…
