Environmental Pollutants That Can Be Metabolized by the Host (Gut Microbiota)

The gut microbiome constitutes of almost 103–104 microbes in gastrointestinal tract of humans. Gut microbiota are in continual alteration and more prone to alterations in host and environment condition. In short, interruptions in communities of gut microbes can affect the health of the host. Various environmental pollutants such as pesticides and heavy metals cause adverse effects on human health and disorder the metabolism of gut microbiota. A number of studies have revealed that environmental contaminants can mark both host and resident gut microbiota. However, gut microbiota has extensive capacity to bio-transform xenobiotics. Some probiotic bacteria can decrease the accumulation of contaminants and their toxicity by hindering the absorption of pollutants and boosting intestinal barrier functions. Probiotics can facilitate the gut microbiota mediated anti-inflammation and this enhance the host immune functions. The bidirectional relationship between environmental pollutants and gut microbiota, the gut microbiota and its influence on human metabolism, nutrition, host physiology, and immunity, the effect of several probiotics species and strains on environmental pollutants-induced toxicity along with their remediation will be discussed in this chapter.