IDDF2022-ABS-0212 Exploring the potential role of probiotics in substance use disorders

BackgroundSubstance use disorders (SUD) have an unfortunate consequence for the health of many individuals, with increased hospitalization or deaths resulting from illegal drugs. There is mounting evidence linking SUD and brain diseases. Individuals present with pathological features such as loss of control over substance use, social dysfunction, hazardous substance use, and tolerance or withdrawal symptoms. Despite being a global health issue, SUD has limited effective treatment with significant adverse outcomes. Recently, the treatment target has been shifted to the gut-brain axis, using probiotics in SUD management. Hence, this study explores the potential role of the gut microbiome and probiotics in substance use disorders.MethodsThe literature search was conducted systematically across three databases; PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus using the keywords: ‘microbiome’, ‘probiotic’ and ‘substance use disorder’. Additionally, synonyms such as ‘microbiota’, ‘microorganism’, ‘drug addiction’ and ‘drug dependence’ were included to extract most of the potential articles. Inclusion criteria are (1) patients or animals who are on either alcohol, stimulants, or opioids as the subjects, (2) patients or animals who are on probiotics after substance use as the subjects, and (3) analysis of gut microbiome as the outcome. Subjects who had liver cirrhosis, gastrointestinal diseases or were on medications such as antibiotics were excluded.ResultsThirty (30) out of 1901 studies were selected for qualitative analysis based on the inclusion criteria. 15 studies investigated the effect of alcohol, 5 on stimulants and 3 rat models on opioids. Most studies reported an increased abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria and a decrease of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes among subjects with substance use disorders. Probiotics studies have shown promising results using Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. Probiotics are helpful in LPS reduction, preventing the development of endotoxemia and systemic inflammation, and protecting against alcohol-induced neuroinflammation (IDDF2022-ABS-0212 Figure 1. Illustration of gut dysbiosis caused by SUD and potential probiotic mechanism).Abstract IDDF2022-ABS-0212 Figure 1ConclusionsThis study has established the presence of gut dysbiosis in substance use disorders and the benefits of probiotics. Probiotics can be a promising adjunct therapy for SUD along with medications. However, further research is needed to understand its underly