Metabiotics: novel idea or natural development of probiotic conception

Traditionally, probiotics are live microorganisms that are considered to be both beneficial and safe. Unfortunately, their effects may be short-lived, inconsequential, or ambiguous. Some symbiotic (probiotic) microorganisms with known health benefits may cause opportunistic infections, increase incidence of allergic sensitization and autoimmune disorders, produce microecological imbalance, modify gene expression, transfer genes that are virulent and resistant to antibiotics, cause disorders in epigenome and genome integrity, induce chromosomal DNA damage, and activate signaling pathways associated with cancer and other chronic diseases. As of now, the commercially available probiotics serve as a first-generation means of correcting microecological disorders. Further development will include the selection of natural metabiotics and/or formulation of synthetic (or semi-synthetic) metabiotics that will be analogies or improvised versions of natural bioactives, produced by symbiotic (probiotic) microorganisms. Metabiotics are structural components of probiotic microorganisms and/or formulation of and/or signaling molecules with a determined (known) chemical structure that can optimize host-specific physiological functions and regulate metabolic and/or behavior reactions connected with the activity of host indigenous microbiota. Metabiotics are advantageous because of their chemical structure, dosage, safety, and long shelf-life. Thus, metabiotics should not be considered a myth; they are the result of the natural evolution of probiotic conception