Impact of Probiotics and Prebiotics on Colon Cancer: Mechanistic Insights and Future Approaches

Colon cancer is one of the most common and most diagnosed types of cancer. It is a major cause of increased rate of morbidity and mortality across the globe. Currently, the focus has been shifted towards natural remedies for the treatment of colon cancer. These new methods of treatment include prebiotics and probiotics, as they offer great potential for alleviating symptoms of cancer. These are more promising and have lesser side effects than existing medications. Probiotics are living organisms which confer health benefits when ingested into adequate amounts. Prebiotics are non-digestible ingredients which promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, which produce metabolites for stimulation of apoptosis of colonic cancer cell lines. Apart from it, prebiotics are helpful to modify the activity of enzymes to be produced by beneficial bacteria as well as for inhibition of several bacteria able to produce carcinogenic enzymes. This review has been collated to present tremendous benefits and future potential of pro- and prebiotics in the treatment of colon cancer and to overview the mechanisms of probiotic actions along with their impact on humans.