Abstract: Constipation is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder. Conventional laxative therapies for constipation often entail risks of dependence and adverse effects. With the growing recognition of the crucial role of gut microbiota dysbiosis in its pathogenesis, gut microbiota modulation has emerged as a core strategy in novel therapies. Synbiotics, a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, demonstrates significant therapeutic potential through synergistic mechanisms: prebiotics selectively promote the colonization and proliferation of probiotics, and they synergistically optimize gut microbiota composition, enhance the production of short-chain fatty acids, and subsequently improve intestinal barrier function, regulate immune responses, and stimulate intestinal motility. Clinical evidence indicates that specific synbiotic formulations outperform single-component interventions in improving stool frequency, consistency, and overall symptoms. This advantage stems from the “nutrition-microbiota-metabolism” multiple-pathway synergistic effect. Future research should prioritize the development of personalized synbiotic regimens based on gut microbiota functional prediction, conduct large-scale clinical trials for functional validation, and explore their integration with novel delivery systems and functional food carriers, thereby advancing the development of constipation treatment toward the integration of precision microbiota-based intervention and enhancing its clinical utility and patients’ quality of life.

Key words: probiotics; prebiotics; constipation; gut microbiota; short-chain fatty acids; synergistic effect

摘要： 便秘作为一种常见的功能性胃肠病，传统泻药治疗常伴随依赖性与副作用风险。随着肠道菌群失调在便秘发病机制中的关键作用日益明确，微生态调控已成为新型治疗策略的核心。合生元（益生菌与益生元的科学组合）通过协同效应，展现出显著的治疗潜力：益生元选择性促进益生菌的定植与增殖，二者协同优化肠道菌群结构，提升短链脂肪酸产量，进而改善肠道屏障功能、调节免疫应答并促进肠道蠕动。临床研究表明，特定合生元制剂在改善排便频率、粪便性状及整体症状方面优于单一益生菌或益生元干预，其优势源于“营养-菌群-代谢”多通路的协同放大效应。未来研究应聚焦于基于菌群功能预测的个性化合生元方案开发，开展大规模功能验证型临床试验，并探索其与新型递送系统及功能性食品载体的整合应用，推动便秘治疗向精准微生态干预与营养治疗一体化方向发展，提升临床实用性与患者生活质量。

关键词: 益生菌；益生元；便秘；肠道微生态；短链脂肪酸；协同作用