It is well documented that diet can modulate the gut microbiota composition. On the other side, the gut microbiota can influence the actions that some dietary molecules have in the human body. Among all the nutrients, polyunsaturated fatty acids, have shown, in the past, numerous beneficial effects. Controversial results were found in the literature in relation to the different impacts that omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can have on gut microbiota highlighting that the topic is still widely open. For this reason, PUFAs have been candidates as prebiotics (i.e. substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit) from ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics) waiting to collect convincing weight of evidence in the target host.
The goal of the present Research Topic is to shed light on the microbiota-PUFAs relationship. Considering that growing evidence demonstrates that bacteria, like all living organisms, cannot benefit from a single nutritional molecule, the interactions between microbiota and other non-carbohydrate dietary substances should be studied. Indeed, despite many positive actions that have been related to carbohydrate molecules, like fibers, other metabolic pathways could be activated in the presence of different types of macromolecules, which remain still unknown. For example, recent advances have shown the ability of the microbiota to metabolize omega-6 PUFAs and produce anti-inflammatory metabolites and therefore with an opposite action to the omega-6 PUFA metabolites of the host (i.e. arachidonic acid cascade).
To shed light on the PUFAs-microbiota relationship, this Research Topic welcomes manuscripts focused on:
- The metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from PUFAs;
- The taxa changes in the gut microbiota after PUFAs and/or PUFAs metabolites administration;
- The gut-local and/or systemic biochemical and molecular effects related to the administration of PUFAs and/or metabolites from PUFAs.
- The PUFAs-microbiota relationship in both pathological and healthy subjects, human volunteers, or animal models, in vivo or in vitro.
It is well documented that diet can modulate the gut microbiota composition. On the other side, the gut microbiota can influence the actions that some dietary molecules have in the human body. Among all the nutrients, polyunsaturated fatty acids, have shown, in the past, numerous beneficial effects. Controversial results were found in the literature in relation to the different impacts that omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can have on gut microbiota highlighting that the topic is still widely open. For this reason, PUFAs have been candidates as prebiotics (i.e. substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit) from ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics) waiting to collect convincing weight of evidence in the target host.
The goal of the present Research Topic is to shed light on the microbiota-PUFAs relationship. Considering that growing evidence demonstrates that bacteria, like all living organisms, cannot benefit from a single nutritional molecule, the interactions between microbiota and other non-carbohydrate dietary substances should be studied. Indeed, despite many positive actions that have been related to carbohydrate molecules, like fibers, other metabolic pathways could be activated in the presence of different types of macromolecules, which remain still unknown. For example, recent advances have shown the ability of the microbiota to metabolize omega-6 PUFAs and produce anti-inflammatory metabolites and therefore with an opposite action to the omega-6 PUFA metabolites of the host (i.e. arachidonic acid cascade).
To shed light on the PUFAs-microbiota relationship, this Research Topic welcomes manuscripts focused on:
- The metabolites produced by the gut microbiota from PUFAs;
- The taxa changes in the gut microbiota after PUFAs and/or PUFAs metabolites administration;
- The gut-local and/or systemic biochemical and molecular effects related to the administration of PUFAs and/or metabolites from PUFAs.
- The PUFAs-microbiota relationship in both pathological and healthy subjects, human volunteers, or animal models, in vivo or in vitro.
