Role of lactobacillus strains in the management of colorectal cancer: An overview of recent advances

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most frequently occurring cancers worldwide. Current standard therapeutic drugs have been associated with serious side effects that can be life-threatening for some patients. Extensive efforts have been undertaken to find alternative therapies. Probiotic bacteria are among new therapeutic options under evaluation. Lactobacilli strains are among the most used probiotics in CRC. Recent studies have shown that consumption of lactobacillus strains, alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy drugs for CRC have exerted beneficial effects on tumor development and growth via several mechanisms, including induction of apoptosis, immunomodulation of inflammatory cytokines, and changing profile of gut microbial community. They affect the signaling pathways involved in cell migration and invasion leading to hampering of tumor metastatic behavior. This review summarizes recent experimental findings regarding antitumor function of the most used lactobacillus species in CRC, providing more supporting data for introducing probiotics as new encouraging therapeutic strategy in cancer prevention and treatment.