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Lactobacillus species are widely recognized for their probiotic potential, focusing on their mechanisms of health benefits and protection. Here we conducted an in vitro investigation of the probiotic potential with a role in microbiome homeostasis of four strains: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L6 and F53, Ligilactobacillus salivarius 1, and Lactobacillus helveticus 611. A broad spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal activity was determined. The strain-specific inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus mutans , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and saprophytic/toxigenic fungi makes them promising as protective cultures. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid) measurements showed that tested samples had strain-specific capacity for scavenging of radicals. The molecular base for the antioxidant potential of two lyophilized forms of active strains was investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, with fractions of the most active postbiotics obtained by SEC-FPLC (fast protein liquid chromatography) analysis, showed a wide variety of effects on the growth of a K562 myeloid leukemia cell line. The IC 50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of L. salivarius 1 was determined to be 46.15 mg/mL. The proven in vitro functionality of the selected lactobacilli make them suitable for development of target probiotics with specific beneficial effects expected in vivo. Further investigations on produced postbiotics and safety have to be completed before they can be considered as scientifically proven probiotic strains.

Background: The global probiotics dietary supplements market size is continuously growing. To overcome probiotics' health concerns, metabiotics are recognized as a safer alternative. Aiming to deal with the escalating antimicrobial resistance, the current work demonstrates synergistic metabiotic-antibiotic combinations against antibiotic-resistant pathogens., Methods: The probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from 3 commercial dietary supplements were characterized in vitro. The combinations of the cell-free supernatants (CFS) of selected probiotic strains and conventional antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli clinical isolates were evaluated using the time-kill assay. To our knowledge, the current literature lacks sufficient time-kill assay studies revealing the kinetics of such metabiotic-antibiotic combinations against S. aureus and E. coli., Results: Four LAB strains isolated from dietary supplements as well as two reference strains were included in this study. The isolated LAB strains were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as follows: P2: Lactobacillus acidophilus, P3: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, P4: Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, and P5: Pediococcus acidilactici. The identification matched with that annotated by the manufacturers, except for P3. The tested strains could resist the acidic environment at pH 3. Excluding P2, the examined strains showed less than 1 log reduction in survivors upon the addition of reconstituted skimmed milk to pepsin at pH 2 and displayed an acceptable tolerance to 0.3% ox-bile. All the strains tolerated pancreatin. The hydrophobicity and autoaggregation capacities ranged between 7-92% and 36-66%, respectively. P2 was excluded owing to its inferior probiotic potential. Although the remaining strains showed excellent growth at 0.2% phenol, their growth was reduced at higher concentrations. L. plantarum and P. acidilactici strains possessed bile salt hydrolysis activity. The time-kill assay revealed promising synergistic activities of the combinations of CFS of L. rhamnosus P4 with either ceftazidime or gentamicin against E. coli and with only ceftazidime against S. aureus, as well as CFS of P. acidilactici P5 and ceftazidime against S. aureus., Conclusions: Strict identification and evaluation of the probiotic strains incorporated in dietary supplements is crucial to ensure their safety and efficacy. The CFS of probiotics could be utilized to formulate novel biotherapeutics targeting problematic pathogens. However, future in vivo studies are required to evaluate the appropriate treatment regimen., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Recently, the term metabiotics has emerged as a new concept of probiotics. This concept entails combining existing probiotic components with metabolic by-products improve specific physiological functionalities. Representative ingredients of these metabiotics include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bacteriocins, polysaccharides, and peptides. The new concept is highly regarded as it complements the side effects of existing probiotics and is safe and easy to administer. Known health functions of metabiotics are mainly immune regulation, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and brain-neurological health. Research has been actively conducted on the health benefits related to the composition of intestinal microorganisms. Among them, the focus has been on brain neurological health, which requires extensive research. This study showed that neurological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, can be treated and prevented according to the gut-brain axis theory by changing the intestinal microflora. In addition, various studies are being conducted on the immunomodulatory and anticancer effects of substances related to metabiotics of the microbiome. In particular, its efficacy is expected to be confirmed through human studies on various cancers. Therefore, developing various health functional effects of the next-generation probiotics such as metabiotics to prevent or treatment of various diseases is anticipated.

Introduction: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce various metabolites (i.e. metabiotics) with inhibitory capacity towards harmful foodborne pathogens., Methods: This study aimed to design several antimicrobial formulations based on metabiotics obtained from different native LAB species ( Lactobacillus pentosus UTNGt5, Lactococcus lactis UTNGt28, and Weissella cibaria UTNGt21O) and to detect the possible mode of action towards two multidrug resistant Staphylococcus spp. strains isolated from avocado ( Persea nubigena var. guatemalensis ) fruits. Additionally, the formulation with the highest inhibitory activity was tested ex vitro on avocados at the immature (firm) ripeness stage to evaluate their effect on microorganisms' growth and fruit quality attributes post-harvest., Results and Discussion: Out of the top five formulations showing the highest bactericidal effect in vitro at their minimum inhibitory concentration (1 x MIC) on both Staphylococcus spp. targets one candidate annotated P11 (consisting of UTNGt21O and UTNGt28; 1:3, v/v) was selected. Co-cultivation of Staphylococcus strains with P11 formulation results in cell viability reduction by 98%, by impairing the integrity of the cell membrane inducing cytoplasm molecule content leakage, protein profile changes, and finally bacterial death. Even though the total coliforms, Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacte r spp., molds, and yeasts counts were not fully eliminated by day 13 of storage, a statistically significant reduction ( p  < 0.05) in viable cell counts were observed by day 8 upon the P11 treatment compared with non-treated control (C) and treated with a commercial disinfectant (T1) samples, suggesting that P11 formulation inhibited microbial colonization during storage. Likewise, no visible dark spots were observed on the mesocarp (pulp) upon the treatment with P11, whereas T1 and C fruits showed greater dark spots on the pulp as indicative of damage. The quality attributes, such as pH, total soluble solids, total titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenol content, were not affected by the treatment. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) conducted on these five variables showed a clear separation of samples according to the maturity stage regardless of the treatment., Conclusion: These results suggest that the active metabolites from LAB strains might create a barrier between the exocarp and mesocarp, inhibiting the microorganisms colonization, reducing fruit damage, and lengthening the fruit quality and safety after harvest., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Tenea, Angamarca, Cifuentes and Hidalgo.)

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the association of gut microbiota with health conditions and the potentially beneficial role of several types of biotics in several population groups, including children and adolescents. Children and adolescents comprise a unique population group due their rapid growth rates, high nutritional requirements, the immaturity of their immune system in early life, and their susceptibility to infectious diseases. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role and limitations of the administration of biotics in specific conditions affecting children and adolescents. A narrative review of related articles published on PubMed up to October 2023 was conducted. The administration of biotics has been evaluated in several health conditions among children and adolescents, such as the treatment and prevention of infectious diarrhea, the prevention of diarrhea after the use of antibiotics, the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis, the treatment of functional gastrointestinal diseases, such as infant colic, functional abdominal pain, and irritable bowel syndrome, the eradication of H. pylori , the treatment of ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, and the prevention of atopic dermatitis, and the findings indicate improved symptoms and various beneficial health outcomes. However, some limitations have been identified regarding probiotics' use. In conclusion, biotics may have a beneficial impact in several health conditions among children and adolescents. There is a need for additional randomized, controlled clinical studies on the effects of the administration of biotics in children and particularly in adolescents and young adults.

Gut microbiota is an important modulator of human health and contributes to high inter-individual variation in response to food and pharmaceutical ingredients. The clinical outcomes of interventions with prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics have been mixed and often unpredictable, arguing for novel approaches for developing microbiome-targeted therapeutics. Here, we review how the gut microbiota determines the fate of and individual responses to dietary and xenobiotic compounds via its immense metabolic potential. We highlight that microbial metabolites play a crucial role as targetable mediators in the microbiota-host health relationship. With this in mind, we expand the concept of synbiotics beyond prebiotics' role in facilitating growth and engraftment of probiotics, by focusing on microbial metabolism as a vital mode of action thereof. Consequently, we discuss synbiotic compositions that enable the guided metabolism of dietary or co-formulated ingredients by specific microbes leading to target molecules with beneficial functions. A workflow to develop novel synbiotics is presented, including the selection of promising target metabolites (e.g. equol, urolithin A, spermidine, indole-3 derivatives), identification of suitable substrates and producer strains applying bioinformatic tools, gut models, and eventually human trials.In conclusion, we propose that discovering and enabling specific substrate-microbe interactions is a valuable strategy to rationally design synbiotics that could establish a new category of hybrid nutra-/pharmaceuticals.

Introduction: According to WHO, antibiotic resistance is increasing to hazardous levels worldwide. Candidiasis often occurs after taking antibiotics. Therefore, antibiotic resistance is a global problem and searching for antibacterial agents is necessary., Aim: To determine the antimicrobial activity of bacterial lysate of Lactobacillus (L.) rhamnosus DV separately and with plant extracts against bacterial and yeast test cultures., Material and Methods: Antimicrobial activity of Del-Immune V ® (cell wall and DNA fragments from a L. rhamnosus DV) separately and with cinnamon, beetroot, and blackcurrant extracts was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Twofold serial dilutions determined the MIC in previously prepared meat-peptone broth (MPB) for bacteria and liquid wort for yeast. In the study, gram-negative ( Escherichia coli IEM-1, Proteus vulgaris PА-12, Pseudomonas sp. MI-2, L. rhamnosus 13/2) and gram-positive ( Bacillus (B.) subtilis BТ-2, Staphylococcus aureus BМС-1) bacteria, as well as yeast ( Candida (C.) albicans D-6, C. tropicalis PE-2, C. utilis BVS-65) were used as test cultures., Results: The MIC for the studied bacterial test cultures after application of L. rhamnosus DV bacterial lysates was from 1.0 ± 0.05 mg/mL to 12.5 ± 0.63 mg/mL, which was significantly less than that of the thermally inactivated control (MIC from 125.0 ± 6.25 mg/mL to 250.0 ± 12.5 mg/mL). B. subtilis BT-2 culture was the least sensitive to the action of the bacterial lysate (MIC-12.5 ± 0.63 mg/mL). It showed the best antibacterial and antifungal effect bacterial lysate with the phytonutrient blackcurrant., Conclusions: It was demonstrated that bacterial lysate of lactic acid bacteria L. rhamnosus DV exhibits antibacterial and antifungal properties during direct contact with pathogenic agents., Competing Interests: Author FG is employed by MirImmunoPharm LLC, Kyiv, Ukraine The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Penchuk, Savytska, Kobyliak, Ostapchenko, Kolodiy, Onysenko, Tsyryuk, Korotkyi, Grygoriev and Falalyeyeva.)

Depression is a common and complex mental and emotional disorder that causes disability, morbidity, and quite often mortality around the world. Depression is closely related to several physical and metabolic conditions causing metabolic depression. Studies have indicated that there is a relationship between the intestinal microbiota and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis. While this microbiota-gut-brain connection is disturbed, dysfunctions of the brain, immune system, endocrine system, and gastrointestinal tract occur. Numerous studies show that intestinal dysbiosis characterized by abnormal microbiota and dysfunction of the microbiota-gut-brain axis could be a direct cause of mental and emotional disorders. Traditional treatment of depression includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, and it mainly targets the brain. However, restoration of the intestinal microbiota and functions of the gut-brain axis via using probiotics, their metabolites, prebiotics, and healthy diet may alleviate depressive symptoms. Administration of probiotics labeled as psychobiotics and their metabolites as metabiotics, especially as an adjuvant to antidepressants, improves mental disorders. It is a new approach to the prevention, management, and treatment of mental and emotional illnesses, particularly major depressive disorder and metabolic depression. For the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy, psychobiotics should be administered at a dose higher than 1 billion CFU/day for at least 8 weeks.

Metabiotics are the structural components of probiotic bacteria, functional metabolites, and/or signaling molecules with numerous beneficial properties. A novel Lactococcus lactis strain, UTNCys6-1, was isolated from wild Amazonian camu-camu fruits ( Myrciaria dubia ), and various functional metabolites with antibacterial capacity were found. The genome size is 2,226,248 base pairs, and it contains 2248 genes, 2191 protein-coding genes (CDSs), 50 tRNAs, 6 rRNAs, 1 16S rRNA, 1 23S rRNA, and 1 tmRNA. The average GC content is 34.88%. In total, 2148 proteins have been mapped to the EggNOG database. The specific annotation consisted of four incomplete prophage regions, one CRISPR-Cas array, six genomic islands (GIs), four insertion sequences (ISs), and four regions of interest (AOI regions) spanning three classes of bacteriocins (enterolysin&#95;A, nisin&#95;Z, and sactipeptides). Based on pangenome analysis, there were 6932 gene clusters, of which 751 (core genes) were commonly observed within the 11 lactococcal strains. Among them, 3883 were sample-specific genes (cloud genes) and 2298 were shell genes, indicating high genetic diversity. A sucrose transporter of the SemiSWEET family (PTS system: phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent transport system) was detected in the genome of UTNCys6-1 but not the other 11 lactococcal strains. In addition, the metabolic profile, antimicrobial susceptibility, and inhibitory activity of both protein-peptide extract (PPE) and exopolysaccharides (EPSs) against several foodborne pathogens were assessed in vitro. Furthermore, UTNCys6-1 was predicted to be a non-human pathogen that was unable to tolerate all tested antibiotics except gentamicin; metabolized several substrates; and lacks virulence factors (VFs), genes related to the production of biogenic amines, and acquired antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Overall, this study highlighted the potential of this strain for producing bioactive metabolites (PPE and EPSs) for agri-food and pharmaceutical industry use.

Green, red, brown, and diatomic algae, as well as cyanobacteria, have been in the focus of attention of scientists and technologists for over 5 decades. This is due to their importance as efficient and economical producers of food additives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, biofertilizers, biofuels, and wastewater bioremediation agents. Recently, the role of microalgae has increasingly been considered in terms of their probiotic function, i.e., of their ability to normalize the functioning of the microbiota of humans and agricultural animals and to produce biologically active substances, including hormones, neurotransmitters, and immunostimulators. A separate brief subsection of the review deals with the potential functions of microalgae with respect to the brain and psyche, i.e., as psychobiotics. Moreover, algal polysaccharides and some other compounds can be broken down to short fragments that will stimulate the development of useful intestinal microorganisms, i.e., function as efficient prebiotics. Finally, many components of microalgal cells and chemical agents produced by them can exert important health-promoting effects per se, which indicates that they are as potentially valuable metabiotics (the term preferred by late Prof. B.A. Shenderov), which are alternatively denoted as postbiotics in the literature., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors., (© Pleiades Publishing, Inc. 2022, ISSN 0003-6838, Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022, Vol. 58, No. 6, pp. 813–825. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2022.Russian Text © The Author(s), 2022, published in Prikladnaya Biokhimiya i Mikrobiologiya, 2022, Vol. 58, No. 6, pp. 635–648.)

Metabiotics have emerged as the safer alternatives to probiotics in last decade. Unlike probiotics that are live microbes, metabiotics are the low molecular weight bioactive metabolites produced by the gut microbiota. While offering a similar profile of health benefits as that of probiotics, metabiotics are free from the risks and uncertain responses associated with administration of live bacteria into the body. Metabiotics have demonstrated substantial effectiveness across the ethnicities, age, gender and nutritional habits in a number of metabolic disorders, including obesity. Obesity is attributed to the offsetting of the energy homeostasis of the body due to a number of genetic, endocrinological, and environmental factors leading to obesity. The obesogenic mechanisms are quite complicated as they result from a complex interplay among a number of factors. Owing to a variety of constituents exerting their action through different pathways, metabiotics offer a pragmatic option for treatment as well as prevention of obesity by addressing heterogeneous aspects of its aetiology. In this review, we categorize various components of metabiotics and discuss their cross-talk with host cells at the molecular level. We also discuss the challenges in understanding these interactions and their potential effects on obesity treatment and prevention strategies. Considering the alarming rise in obesity all over the world, metabiotics offer an attractive non-pharmacological approach to spearhead the strategies being designed to combat the challenges posed by the obesity epidemic., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The use of novel and effective probiotic-based immunostimulating preparations, prebiotics, metabiotics, and phytobiotics is considered as a promising direction for the creation of new complex feed additives for aquaculture enterprises to increase the health and productivity of the cultivated hydrobionts. The information on the products of anaerobic solid-phase fermentation of plant substrates is presented as the basis for new probiotic-based additives for aquacultures. Biologically active feed additives ProStor and GerbaStor containing probiotics and medicinal herbs and their effects on aquaculture are discussed. Specific features of their application in aquatic environments with targeted action on hydrobionts are analyzed., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Wild probiotic consortia of microorganisms (bacteria and yeasts) associated in the artisanal cultures' microbiota (milk kefir grains, water kefir grains and kombucha) are considered valuable promoters for metabiotics (prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and paraprobiotics) production. The beneficial effects of the fermented products obtained with the artisanal cultures on human well-being are described by centuries and the interest for them is continuously increasing. The wild origin and microbial diversity of these above-mentioned consortia give them extraordinary protection capacity against microbiological contaminants in unusual physico-chemical conditions and unique fermentative behaviour. This review summarizes the state of the art for the wild artisanal cultures (milk and water kefir grains, respectively, kombucha-SCOBY), their symbiotic functionality, and the ability to ferment unconventional substrates in order to obtain valuable bioactive compounds with in vitro and in vivo beneficial functional properties. Due to the necessity of the bioactives production and their use as metabiotics in the modern consumer's life, artisanal cultures are the perfect sources able to biosynthesize complex functional metabolites (bioactive peptides, antimicrobials, polysaccharides, enzymes, vitamins, cell wall components). Depending on the purposes of the biotechnological fermentation processes, artisanal cultures can be used as starters on different substrates. Current studies show that the microbial synergy between bacteria-yeast and/or bacteria-offers new perspectives to develop functional products (food, feeds, and ingredients) with a great impact on life quality.

Background and Objective: The cellular microenvironment, diet, and lifestyle play a key role in the occurrence of colorectal cancer. Due to its rising trend, attempts are being made to devise novel biointerventions as adjunct to conventional therapies to prevent this deadly disease. "Metabiotics," the beneficial metabolic signatures of probiotics are emerging as potential anticancer agent due to their ability to alter metabolic processes in the gut lumen and reduce the severity of colon carcinogenesis. Although beneficial attributes of metabiotics have been elucidated in vitro , yet their anticancer mechanism in vivo needs to be explored. Thus, the present study was performed to envisage anticancer potential of metabiotic extract obtained from indigenous probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus MD 14, in early experimental colon carcinogenesis. Materials and Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were daily administered with low, medium, and high dose of metabiotic extract orally along with a single dose of weekly intraperitoneal injection of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine up to 6 weeks and monitored for the markers of early colon carcinogenesis. Results: It was observed that the medium dose of metabiotic extract attenuated early colon carcinogenesis by reducing fecal procarcinogenic enzymes, oxidants, aberrant crypt foci, vis-à-vis downregulating oncogenes [K-ras, β-catenin, Cox-2, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)] and upregulating tumor suppressor p53 gene leading to almost normal colon histology. Conclusions: It can be suggested that metabiotics modulate experimental colorectal cancer and could be used as a promising alternative of probiotics, particularly in immunocompromised individuals., (Copyright © 2020 Sharma and Shukla.)

In light of recent data, microorganisms should be construed as organisms that are capable of communication and collective behaviors. Microbial communication signals are involved both in interactions among microbial cells within microbial social systems, including the human body-inhabiting microconsortium, and the dialog between the microbiota and the host organism. The microbiota inhabits various niches of the host organism, especially the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Microorganisms release diverse signal molecules and, in addition, specifically respond to host signals. This enables them to constantly interact with the nervous system including the brain and the immune system of the host organism. Evolutionarily conserved signals that are involved in the communication between microbiota and the host include neuroactive substances (neurochemicals) such as peptides, amino acids, biogenic amines, short-chain fatty acids, and gaseous substances. This ongoing dialog may either stabilize the host's physical and mental health state or, alternatively, cause serious health problems. Attempts are made to correct imbalances in the brain-gut-microbiota axis with probiotics including their subgroup called psychobiotics that release neuroactive substances directly influencing the human brain, psyche, and behavior. A number of recent review works address the microbiota-host system and its communication signals. Some of the publications focus on the involvement of neurochemicals in the bidirectional communication within the host-microbiota system. However, this work concentrates on the impact of bacterial cell components, metabolites, and signal molecules as promising alternatives to the currently widespread probiotics that have both advantages and disadvantages. Such biologically active agents of microbial origin are referred to as postbiotics or, alternatively, metabiotics (the term preferred in this work).

Hylak® forte is a postbiotic that inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria by reducing intestinal pH. It is assumed the potential presence of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in Hylak® forte may contribute to this effect. In this current study, we analysed the composition of Hylak® forte, using a validated gas chromatography assay test method, to ascertain whether SCFAs are present in this postbiotic treatment. Hylak® forte was screened for C 1 to C 10 SCFAs by a gas chromatographic assay. In this assay, SCFAs were analysed as for their volatile ethyl ester derivatives in a 3.0 mL Hylak® forte sample. An additional screening procedure was conducted for the presence of vitamins and simple sugars. The gas chromatographic method for determining SCFAs was validated according to the requirements of ICH guideline Q2 (R1). Formic and acetic acids were identified in Hylak® forte at 27.92 ppm (90% confidence interval (CI), 26.90-28.94) and 306.17 ppm (90% CI, 277.11-335.22), respectively. Additional compounds were quantified in the solution, including vitamin B1 (0.029 mg/100 g), monosaccharides and disaccharides (2.767 g/100 g), as well as glutamic acid and glutamine (0.047 g/100 g). This study has identified formic acid in a range of 39.33 (90% CI, 36.50-42.17)-48.33 (90% CI, 45.91-50.76) ppm and acetic acid dropping down to 312.33 (90% CI, 295.32-329.35) from initial 415.67 ppm (90% CI, 385.93-445.41) in commercial Hylak® forte samples under forced degradation conditions. In addition, a range of other compounds in Hylak® forte was identified, including riboflavin and glutamine. Further studies are necessary to establish whether these compounds translate into tangible therapeutic effects.

Colorectal cancer is closely associated with environment, diet and lifestyle. Normally it is treated with surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy but increasing systemic toxicity, resistance and recurrence is prompting scientists to devise new potent and safer alternate prophylactic or therapeutic strategies. Among these, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and metabiotics are being considered as the promising candidates. Metabiotics or probiotic derived factors can optimize various physiological functions of the host and offer an additional advantage to be utilized even in immunosuppressed individuals. Interestingly, anti colon cancer potential of probiotic strains has been attributable to metabiotics that have epigenetic, antimutagenic, immunomodulatory, apoptotic, and antimetastatic effects. Thus, it's time to move one step further to utilize metabiotics more smartly by avoiding the risks associated with probiotics even in certain normal/or immuno compromised host. Here, an attempt is made to provide insight into the adverse effects associated with probiotics and beneficial aspects of metabiotics with main emphasis on the modulatory mechanisms involved in colon cancer.