Gut bacteria metabolite shows promise in fighting inflammatory bowel disease

Medical Xpress / Tokyo University of Science / Frontiers in Immunology ^ | May 7, 2024 | Miki Ando et al

[ConservativeMind]

Gut microbiota or the population of microbial inhabitants in the intestine, plays a key role in digestion and maintenance of overall health. Intestinal microbes metabolize dietary components into beneficial fatty acids (FAs), supporting metabolism and maintaining host body homeostasis.

Metabolites originating from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), influenced by gut microbes such as Lactobacillus plantarum, exhibit potent effects on inflammation and immune responses.

The researchers used antigen-stimulated spleen cells to elicit an enhanced immune response. Subsequently, they investigated the impacts of different polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) derivatives, focusing on metabolites of linoleic acid, a prevalent dietary fatty acid.

Their findings revealed that KetoC, αKetoC, gKetoA, and gKetoC (enon derivatives of LA) markedly reduced the levels of interleukin 2—a key protein that triggers the expansion of immune cells and inflammation. However, the original PUFAs in their unconverted form did not demonstrate the same immunosuppressive effects, emphasizing the critical role of bacterial conversion in activating their immunomodulatory properties.

Furthermore, they observed that the enon (a functional group) FAs also suppressed prolonged T-cell proliferation and dendritic cell activation, which can lead to inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

Their results suggested that gKetoC stimulated the NRF2 signaling pathway, which suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines.

To further validate, the researchers used a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease and examined immune and inflammatory responses by involving gKetoC treatment. They found that gKetoC treatment significantly reduced fibrosis-induced tissue damage in the colon, reduced colitis-induced weight loss, and improved stool scores.

In summary, this study identified gKetoC as a metabolite playing a protective role in a colitis mice model. In the long run, these findings can help improve the quality of life for patients suffering from inflammatory diseases, and augment the possibility of developing functional foods, supplements, and nutraceuticals based on these microbial metabolites.

[ConservativeMind]

Lactobacillus plantarum is available in probiotic supplements and some yogurts and kefirs.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats are found in foods like salmon and most nuts, respectively.

[ConservativeMind]

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