Long-term intake of Lactobacillus helveticus enhances bioavailability of omega-3 fatty acids in the mouse retina.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
; 10(1): 4, 2024 Jan 18.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38238339
ABSTRACT
Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are required for the structure and function of the retina. Several observational studies indicate that consumption of a diet with relatively high levels of n-3 PUFAs, such as those provided by fish oils, has a protective effect against the development of age-related macular degeneration. Given the accumulating evidence showing the role of gut microbiota in regulating retinal physiology and host lipid metabolism, we evaluated the potential of long-term dietary supplementation with the Gram-positive bacterium Lactobacillus helveticus strain VEL12193 to modulate the retinal n-3 PUFA content. A set of complementary approaches was used to study the impact of such a supplementation on the gut microbiota and host lipid/fatty acid (FA) metabolism. L. helveticus-supplementation was associated with a decrease in retinal saturated FAs (SFAs) and monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) as well as an increase in retinal n-3 and omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs. Interestingly, supplementation with L. helveticus enriched the retina in C225n-3 (docosapentaenoic acid, DPA), C226n-3 (DHA), C182n-6 (linoleic acid, LA) and C203n-6 (dihomo gamma-linolenic acid, DGLA). Long-term consumption of L. helveticus also modulated gut microbiota composition and some changes in OTUs abundance correlated with the retinal FA content. This study provides a proof of concept that targeting the gut microbiota could be an effective strategy to modulate the retinal FA content, including that of protective n-3 PUFAs, thus opening paths for the design of novel preventive and/or therapeutical strategies for retinopathies.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
/
Lactobacillus helveticus
Type of study:
Observational_studies
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: