# Precision Microbiome Modulation: Exploring Lactobacillus spp. as A Targeted Strategy for Type 2 Diabetes Management

**Authors:** Ann Sze Cheah, Ji Wei Tan, Faizul Jaafar, Wendy Wai Yeng Yeo

PMC · DOI: 10.1007/s13668-026-00739-3 · Current Nutrition Reports · 2026-03-04

## TL;DR

This paper explores how Lactobacillus bacteria can be used in personalized treatments to help manage type 2 diabetes more effectively.

## Contribution

The paper proposes integrating Lactobacillus spp. into precision medicine for T2DM using multi-omics and AI.

## Key findings

- Lactobacillus spp. improve insulin resistance through glucose metabolism and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Strain-specific survivability and safety issues hinder clinical use of Lactobacillus spp.
- Personalized approaches using microbiome and genetic data may optimize Lactobacillus-based therapies.

## Abstract

The International Diabetes Federation projects a prevalence of 783.2 million cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by 2045. The escalation in healthcare expenditure and adverse effects of current drugs necessitate a clinically effective and low-cost alternative therapeutic option with minimal health complications. Lactobacillus spp., a well-studied gut probiotic has shown promising antidiabetic effects against T2DM in several randomized controlled trials. However, the exact mechanisms of Lactobacillus spp. in regulating the glycaemic profile are not well elucidated, limiting the optimization of probiotic-based interventions. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the various antidiabetic mechanisms of Lactobacillus spp., with a focus on their integration into precision medicine approaches.

Lactobacillus spp. supplementation alleviates insulin resistance in T2DM by modulating glucose metabolism and transport, exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects as well as restructuring gut microbiota. Lactobacillus spp. also enhance the functional properties of food by increasing the antioxidant capacity and improving glucose metabolism. Despite these promising effects, clinical translation is challenged by strain-specific survivability in the gastrointestinal tract and safety concerns. Thus, leveraging precision medicine via tailoring treatments based on individual microbiome profiles, genetic backgrounds and metabolic phenotype may unravel the full therapeutic potential of targeted Lactobacillus spp. for T2DM treatment. This approach can be reached by integrating multi-omics profiling and artificial intelligence technologies.

Lactobacillus spp. may act as adjunctive support in the management T2DM rather than stand-alone therapies in T2DM management, as their efficacy is dependent on appropriate dietary interventions and metabolic context. Altogether, integrating Lactobacillus spp. into personalized treatment frameworks offers a promising avenue for developing more targeted, effective and safe interventions for T2DM.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** type 2 diabetes mellitus (MONDO:0005148), T2DM (MONDO:0005148)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** IL1B (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 3553] {aka IL-1, IL1-BETA, IL1F2, IL1beta}, INS (insulin) [NCBI Gene 3630] {aka IDDM, IDDM1, IDDM2, ILPR, IRDN, MODY10}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, IL10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 3586] {aka CSIF, GVHDS, IL-10, IL10A, TGIF}, AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 207] {aka AKT, PKB, PKB-ALPHA, PRKBA, RAC, RAC-ALPHA}, PIK3CB (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit beta) [NCBI Gene 5291] {aka P110BETA, PI3K, PI3KBETA, PIK3C1}, SLC2A4 (solute carrier family 2 member 4) [NCBI Gene 6517] {aka GLUT4}, SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) [NCBI Gene 6647] {aka ALS, ALS1, HEL-S-44, IPOA, SOD, STAHP}, PIK3R1 (phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 5295] {aka AGM7, GRB1, IMD36, p85, p85-ALPHA, p85alpha}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, CRP (C-reactive protein) [NCBI Gene 1401] {aka PTX1}
- **Diseases:** vacuolar degeneration (MESH:C536522), vomiting (MESH:D014839), metabolic disease (MESH:D008659), chronic diarrhoea (MESH:D003967), retinopathy (MESH:D058437), steatosis (MESH:D005234), weight gain (MESH:D015430), obese (MESH:D009765), impaired glucose metabolism (MESH:D044882), failure (MESH:D051437), Diabetes (MESH:D003920), Dysbiosis (MESH:D064806), Resistance (MESH:D060467), ARGs (MESH:D004761), tract, respiratory and diabetic foot infections (MESH:D012141), liver diseases (MESH:D008107), Inflammation (MESH:D007249), gastrointestinal symptoms (MESH:D012817), fibrosis (MESH:D005355), metabolic syndrome (MESH:D024821), neuropathy (MESH:D009422), sepsis (MESH:D018805), glucose intolerance (MESH:D018149), septic (MESH:D001170), hypoinsulinemic (OMIM:240900), hepatic injury (MESH:D056486), vertebral osteomyelitis (MESH:D010019), constipation (MESH:D003248), irritable bowel syndrome (MESH:D043183), T2DM (MESH:D003924), inflammatory bowel diseases (MESH:D015212), nephropathy (MESH:D007674), digestive disorders (MESH:D004066), insulin resistance (MESH:D007333), infection (MESH:D007239), cardiovascular-related diseases (MESH:D002318), diabetic retinopathy (MESH:D003930), lactose intolerance (MESH:D007787)
- **Chemicals:** meglitinides (MESH:C030516), blood glucose (MESH:D001786), acetic acid (MESH:D019342), disaccharides (MESH:D004187), glycogen (MESH:D006003), biguanides (MESH:D001645), sulfonylureas (MESH:D013453), STZ (MESH:D013311), advanced glycation end products (MESH:D017127), metformin (MESH:D008687), free radicals (MESH:D005609), monosaccharide (MESH:D009005), polysaccharide (MESH:D011134), lactic acid (MESH:D019344), nickel (MESH:D009532), polyol (MESH:C024617), hexose (MESH:D006601), salt (MESH:D012492), alginate (MESH:D000464), fat (MESH:D005223), Glucose (MESH:D005947), flavonoid (MESH:D005419), SCFA (MESH:D005232), hexosamine (MESH:D006595), ROS (MESH:D017382), beta-lactams (MESH:D047090), hydrogen (MESH:D006859), lipopolysaccharide (MESH:D008070), lipid (MESH:D008055), L-cysteine (MESH:D003545), fructose (MESH:D005632), thiazolidinediones (MESH:D045162), GSH (MESH:D005978), starches (MESH:D013213), MDA (MESH:D008315), carbohydrate (MESH:D002241), Butyrate (MESH:D002087), oligosaccharides (MESH:D009844), CKCC1913 (-), acarbose (MESH:D020909), bile acids (MESH:D001647)
- **Species:** Lactobacillus acidophilus (species) [taxon 1579], Lactobacillus helveticus (species) [taxon 1587], Ligilactobacillus ruminis (species) [taxon 1623], Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (species) [taxon 1597], Klebsiella (genus) [taxon 570], Lactobacillus delbrueckii (species) [taxon 1584], Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (species) [taxon 47715], Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (strain) [taxon 568703], Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (subspecies) [taxon 1585], Leuconostoc mesenteroides (species) [taxon 1245], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], gut metagenome (species) [taxon 749906], Limosilactobacillus reuteri (species) [taxon 1598], Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (species) [taxon 1590], Akkermansia (genus) [taxon 239934], Limosilactobacillus fermentum (species) [taxon 1613], Parasutterella (genus) [taxon 577310], Bacillota (clostridial firmicutes, phylum) [taxon 1239], Rodentia (rodent, order) [taxon 9989], Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum (subspecies) [taxon 337330], Bifidobacterium (genus) [taxon 1678], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Greta morgane oto (subspecies) [taxon 191407], Bacteria Latreille et al. 1825 (Bacteria stick insect, genus) [taxon 629395], Lactobacillus johnsonii (species) [taxon 33959], Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (strain) [taxon 316435], Danio rerio (leopard danio, species) [taxon 7955], Lacticaseibacillus casei (species) [taxon 1582], Lactobacillus gasseri (species) [taxon 1596]
- **Cell lines:** /6KsJ — Homo sapiens (Human), Tongue squamous cell carcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_5985), NL41 — Homo sapiens (Human), Induced pluripotent stem cell (CVCL_1E71), C57BL/6J — Mus musculus (Mouse), Transformed cell line (CVCL_C0MW), Caco-2 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0025)

## Full text

_Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12960364/full.md

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12960364/full.md

## References

11 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12960364/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12960364