Chapter 15 : Use of Traditional and Genetically Modified Probiotics in Human Health: What Does the Future Hold?

Abstract:

Advances in recombinant technology (e.g., genetic engineering) and in the understanding of the human immune system have led to prodigious advances in the development of novel delivery systems for mucosal administration ( 1 , 2 ). The administration of therapeutic molecules through mucosal routes offers several important advantages over conventional strategies (i.e., systemic injection) such as reduction of secondary effects, easy administration, and the possibility to modulate both systemic and mucosal immune responses ( 3 ). Moreover, it is important for molecules of health interest that exert their effects at mucosal surfaces, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), for example, to be delivered directly to the appropriate site. Nonetheless, a major disadvantage of the mucosal route of administration is that the actual amount of protein to be administered needs to be large due to the very small quantities of protein that survive degradation at mucosal surfaces such as the GIT ( 1 , 3 ).