Andrea Martelli , Yousra O.A. Mohamed , Gloria Gallego-Ferrer , Piergiorgio Gentile , Joel Girón-Hernández
{"title":"Revolutionizing gut health: advances in encapsulation strategies for probiotics and bioactive molecules","authors":"Andrea Martelli , Yousra O.A. Mohamed , Gloria Gallego-Ferrer , Piergiorgio Gentile , Joel Girón-Hernández","doi":"10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108630","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Advancements in biotechnology underscore the critical role of gastrointestinal microbiome in health and disease. Probiotic supplementation offers therapeutic potential, particularly for functional gastrointestinal disorders, which affect over 40 % of the global population and impair quality of life. Despite a rapidly growing probiotics market, many formulations suffer from poor efficacy due to challenges such as gastric survival, temperature sensitivity and poor colonization of the gut lining. Encapsulation technologies have emerged as potential solutions, offering protection for probiotics but introducing complexities related to biopolymer coatings and adhesion efficiency. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly influence gut health with excess ROS contributing to dysbiosis, intestinal barrier disruption and inflammation. While dietary antioxidants offer some benefits, their rapid clearance and nonspecific biodistribution limit therapeutic efficacy. Encapsulation strategies integrating probiotics with phenolic antioxidants have demonstrated enhanced survival, adhesion, and antioxidant activity, presenting a promising avenue for gut health interventions. This review primarily aims to explore innovative approaches to encapsulated probiotic formulations, emphasizing their potential to address current limitations and improve gut health. Specifically, the review examines key areas of focus including the design and manufacturing of systems incorporating live microorganisms and bioactive molecules; evaluation of their digestion, release and bioactivity; and their <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in vivo</em> efficacy. Finally, regulatory considerations and future research directions, focused on advancing smart encapsulation strategies and novel delivery systems to enhance therapeutic efficacy and address current challenges in gut health interventions are also explored.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8946,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology advances","volume":"83 ","pages":"Article 108630"},"PeriodicalIF":12.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biotechnology advances","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0734975025001168","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Advancements in biotechnology underscore the critical role of gastrointestinal microbiome in health and disease. Probiotic supplementation offers therapeutic potential, particularly for functional gastrointestinal disorders, which affect over 40 % of the global population and impair quality of life. Despite a rapidly growing probiotics market, many formulations suffer from poor efficacy due to challenges such as gastric survival, temperature sensitivity and poor colonization of the gut lining. Encapsulation technologies have emerged as potential solutions, offering protection for probiotics but introducing complexities related to biopolymer coatings and adhesion efficiency. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly influence gut health with excess ROS contributing to dysbiosis, intestinal barrier disruption and inflammation. While dietary antioxidants offer some benefits, their rapid clearance and nonspecific biodistribution limit therapeutic efficacy. Encapsulation strategies integrating probiotics with phenolic antioxidants have demonstrated enhanced survival, adhesion, and antioxidant activity, presenting a promising avenue for gut health interventions. This review primarily aims to explore innovative approaches to encapsulated probiotic formulations, emphasizing their potential to address current limitations and improve gut health. Specifically, the review examines key areas of focus including the design and manufacturing of systems incorporating live microorganisms and bioactive molecules; evaluation of their digestion, release and bioactivity; and their in vitro and in vivo efficacy. Finally, regulatory considerations and future research directions, focused on advancing smart encapsulation strategies and novel delivery systems to enhance therapeutic efficacy and address current challenges in gut health interventions are also explored.
期刊介绍:
Biotechnology Advances is a comprehensive review journal that covers all aspects of the multidisciplinary field of biotechnology. The journal focuses on biotechnology principles and their applications in various industries, agriculture, medicine, environmental concerns, and regulatory issues. It publishes authoritative articles that highlight current developments and future trends in the field of biotechnology. The journal invites submissions of manuscripts that are relevant and appropriate. It targets a wide audience, including scientists, engineers, students, instructors, researchers, practitioners, managers, governments, and other stakeholders in the field. Additionally, special issues are published based on selected presentations from recent relevant conferences in collaboration with the organizations hosting those conferences.