Chapter 1: Gut microbiotaSummary: The gut is a huge complex ecosystem where microbiota, nutrients, and host cells interact extensively, a process crucial for the gut homeostasis and host health. The gut microbiota has many functions including metabolic, barrier effect, and trophic functions. Hence, many diseases have been associated to impairment of the gut microbiota. This part provides in depth view of the close relationship between gut microbiota, health and disease.1.1Gut microbiota1.2Gut microbiota balance and health1.3Gut microbiota dysbiosis and diseaseChapter 2: Probiotics and gut microbiotaSummary: Probiotics, "live micro-organisms", when consumed in adequate amounts, positively modulate the gut microbiota to prevent or treat some
diseases. This part gives the interaction between probiotics and gut microbiota contributing to host health.2.1Probiotics2.2Probiotics and gut microbiota2.3 Probiotics and healthChapter 3: Probiotics, gut microbiota and heavy metalsSummary: The accumulation of heavy metals disrupts the structure of gut microbiota, causing damage to organs such as liver and kidney. Probiotics effectively protect against heavy metals toxicity by facilitating heavy metals excretion and mediating gut microbiota.3.1Common heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Hg, Pb, As, Cu, MeHg)3.2Other representative metals (Al, Zn, Ni)Chapter 4: Probiotics, gut microbiota and pesticidesSummary: Various pesticides lead to adverse effects on human health, such as oxidative stress and metabolism disorder of the gut microbiota. Probiotics protect against pesticides-induced oxidative stress and downstream cellular damage by enzymatically degrading pesticides, reducing the absorption of pesticides and stimulating host's own immunity.4.1Organophosphorus pesticides (chlorpyrifos, malathion, diazinon, glyphosate)4.2Organochlorine pesticides (pentachlorophenol, permethrin)4.3Other pesticides (imazalil, carbendazim)Chapter 5: Probiotics, gut microbiota and antibioticsSummary: Antibiotics kill a large number of gut microbiota without prejudice, and improve the resistance of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium difficile. Antibiotic associated diarrhoea and Clostridium difficile infection can be common following antibiotics treatment. Probiotics have been widely reported to reduce the risks of antibiotics-induced side effects.5.1Antibiotics and gut microbiota5.2Effect of probiotics on antibiotics associated diarrhoea5.3Effect of probiotics on Clostridium difficile infection5.4Potential protective mechanism of probioticsChapter 6: Probiotics, gut microbiota and other persistent organic pollutantsSummary: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons come from grilled or smoked meat and fish that is carcinogenic. The essential oil analogue has significant antimicrobial activity against gut microbiota, which causes abnormal metabolism of gut microbiota. However, probiotics can be used as an alternative method against mutagenesis caused by some persistent organic pollutants. Many food additives can be replaced by lactic acid bacteria.
6.1Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (anthracene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(a)pyrene)6.2 Food additives (sweeteners, emulsifiers, flavoring agents, coloring agents)Chapter 7: Gut microbiota, probiotics and biological contaminantsSummary: Some pathogenic organisms can invade the gastrointestinal tract, compete for nutrients and release toxins. Meanwhile, they can inhibit the normal growth and metabolism of the host's native microbiota. Probiotic, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, has been reported to detoxify aflatoxin through modulate gut microbiota, fecal excretion in animals.
About the Author:

Xiangkai Li is a Professor and the Director of Microbiology at the School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University. He also serves as an editor of Science of the Total Environment and Scientific Reports, and is a board member of the Chinese Society of Microbiology's Environmental Microbiology Division. He holds a bachelor's degree in Microbiology from Wuhan University, China and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma, USA. Before joining Lanzhou University, he served as a postdoc, pursuing research in the field of microbiomes and nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine, USA.