Randomized Clinical Trial: Impact of Oral Administration of Saccharomyces boulardii on Gene Expression of Intestinal Cytokines in Patients Undergoing Colon Resection.

Background: When intestinal microbiota is imbalanced, a patient becomes more vulnerable to infectious complications; intervention with beneficial probiotics may help lower risk for infection. The aim of this study was to measure levels of inflammatory cytokine messenger RNA (mRNA) in surgical samples of intestinal mucosal tissues from patients who were given the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii before undergoing colon surgery.

Methods: Thirty-three patients undergoing colon resection were randomly assigned to receive at least 7-day preoperative probiotic treatment (n = 15) or conventional (n = 18) treatment.