What are paraprobiotics?

They are non-viable (inactive) microorganisms, deliberately treated to remove their ability to replicate, but which keep cell structures and functional components able to interact with the human body.

They are obtained from probiotics by putting them through physical inactivation processes such as heat, pressure, radiation or ultrasound.

Inactive, but with their structure intact

Although they are inactive, paraprobiotics keep relevant structural and biochemical elements:

• Cell walls, such as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or lipoteichoic acids.
• Peptidoglycans and surface proteins, which can be recognised by cell receptors (such as TLRs or NODs).
• Bacterial DNA, which can trigger immunomodulatory cell signals.
• Residual or intracellular metabolites produced before inactivation (enzymes, peptides, etc.).

At the interface between the mucosa and the body

Paraprobiotics can act where the gut-associated lymphoid tissue is located. Although they do not colonise or compete with the resident microbiota, they interact directly with the intestinal epithelium or with the immune cells in the mucosa, such as:

• M cells in Peyer's patches.
• Macrophages and dendritic cells.
• Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as TLRs, which trigger local regulatory responses.

All of this favours a tolerance or modulation response rather than inflammation.