Two different conditions are included in
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),
Crohn's disease (CD) and
ulcerative colitis (UC), being distinguished by chronic recurrence of gut
inflammation in persons that are genetically predisposed and subjected to environmental causative factors. The normal structure of the gut microbiome and its alterations in IBD were defined in several microbial studies. An important factor in the prolonged inflammatory process in IBD is the impaired microbiome or "
dysbiosis". Thus, gut microbiome management is likely to be an objective in IBD treatment. In this review, we analyzed the existing data regarding the pathophysiological/therapeutic implications of intestinal microflora in the development and evolution of IBD. Furthermore, the main effects generated by the administration of probiotics,
prebiotics,
fecal transplantation, and
phytochemicals supplementation were analyzed regarding their potential roles in improving the clinical and biochemical status of patients suffering from
Crohn's disease (CD) and
ulcerative colitis (UC), and are depicted in the sections/subsections of the present paper. Data from the literature give evidence in support of probiotic and
prebiotic therapy, showing effects such as improving remission rate, improving macroscopic and microscopic aspects of IBD, reducing the pro-inflammatory
cytokines and
interleukins, and improving the disease activity index. Therefore, the additional benefits of these
therapies should not be ignored as adjuvants to medical
therapy.