LAUSR

Abstract Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder limited to colon and rectum. UC carries considerable burden and causes mortality of many patients so there is a continuous challenge for new advancements to be made in the present medical therapies. Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body. Probiotic bacteria plays a crucial role in maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis, strengthening of gut barrier function and host immune responses. Thus, in order to combat chronic inflammation during UC and to improve quality of life in patients, probiotic supplementation is emerging as a therapeutic option of great interest. We have searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases, to evaluate the clinical efficacy of probiotics. Several studies have shown probiotics are as effective as traditional drug therapy used in treatment of UC. Herein, we have summarized the main findings of clinical studies conducted on UC patients where probiotics are used alone or in combination with conventional therapy against UC.