Microbiome‐Immune Crosstalk in Inflammatory Skin Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of Probiotics
Pranvi Sharma, Tanaka Nhokwara, Jaswinder Singh, Kiran Bala, Kajal KamraABSTRACT
Background
The gut–skin axis links intestinal microbial activity with inflammatory skin disease, yet findings across atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, and psoriasis remain inconsistent. This review examines how disease biology and host context shape microbiome‐related effects and responses to probiotics.
Materials and Methods
Published clinical and experimental evidence on gut microbiota, immune and metabolic signaling, barrier dysfunction, inter‐organ communication, and probiotic interventions was narratively reviewed across atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, and psoriasis.
Results
Microbiome‐related mechanisms differ by disease. In atopic dermatitis, they intersect with barrier dysfunction and altered immune regulation. In acne vulgaris, metabolic, hormonal, dietary, and neuroendocrine factors modify their effects. In psoriasis, gut dysbiosis occurs within a broader setting of systemic immune activation. Probiotic outcomes are similarly variable and depend on strain, host characteristics, disease context, and study design.
Discussion
Gut–skin communication is better interpreted as part of an interconnected physiological network rather than a uniform linear pathway. Disease‐specific evaluation of microbiome changes and probiotic interventions may help explain conflicting findings and guide more targeted future studies.