The antioxidant activity of Lactic acid bacteria and probiotics: a review

Abstract

Probiotics and Lactic Acid Bacteria play important roles such as the production of antimicrobial compounds and other metabolites. So they have positive effects on human health. When reactive oxygen species generated in excess or cellular defenses are deficient, biomolecules can be damaged by the oxidative stress process. Various studies have shown that the best way to protect the human body from the effects of oxidation reactions is to avoid them, which can be accomplished by using antioxidants. Due to the damages of synthetic antioxidants, their usage has been discussed. Nowadays natural antioxidants derived from bio-resources have recently gained a lot of attention as a potential replacement for synthetic antioxidants. Probiotic bacteria are thought to defend against oxidative stress by restoring the gut microbiota, according to hypothesis of some scientists. This type of microorganisms indicated their antioxidant activity by producing and increasing antioxidant enzymes, production of secondary metabolites, small hydrolyzed peptides in food, resistance to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and production of intracellular and extracellular compounds such as Exopolysaccharides. Also, they have shown their positive effect on in vivo models. In conclusion, according to the results of studies, lactic acid bacteria and probiotics are significant sources of natural antioxidants. Therefore, they have important research value and market development potential. Also, it should be noted that the mechanism of antioxidant activity of this group of microorganisms has not been fully investigated, this requires further research.