الملخص

Probiotics, which are live microorganisms as defined by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that confer a health benefit to the host organism when delivered in adequate amounts during an oral route of delivery, have attracted considerable interest for their potential role in altering gastrointestinal physiology. Probiotics have been used as experimental tools in laboratory animals to gain insights into mechanisms of gut homeostasis, immune regulation, and host–microbiota interactions. This review analyses the literature to date concerning the role of probiotic supplementation on gastrointestinal function in experimental animal models, such as rodents and other laboratory species. Major physiological effects include improvement of mode profile intestinal barrier integrity, modulation of gut motility, regulation of mucosal immunity responses, change in gut microbiota composition, and suppression of inflammatory pathways. Probiotic strains like Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Saccharomyces species exerted strain-specific effects on epithelial tight junction expression, short-chain fatty acid production and cytokine balance. Moreover, administration of probiotics has demonstrated therapeutic significance in experimental models of inflammatory bowel disease, antibiotic-associated dysbiosis, metabolic disorders and stress-related intestinal dysfunction. While promising, heterogeneity of strain selection, dosing and experimental design underlines the need for standardized protocols and mechanistic explorations. Knowing how probiotics interact with their host in the laboratory can inform translational applications for use in veterinary and human medicine. Future studies need to elucidate the molecular pathways involved and long-term safety, as well as optimal precision probiotic strategies for gastrointestinal health.