GUTS AND GLORY: THE EFFECT OF SOYBEAN OIL, LINOLEIC ACID, AND ACROLEIN ENRICHED NUTRITION ON THE GUT MICROBIOTA

The gut microbiota is complex ecosystem, which has a crucial role in maintaining the host well-being. Individual’s microbiome is influenced by host`s genetics and environmental factors such as diet.

Here, we studied the effect of diet enriched with Soy-oil (SO), and specifically its major polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic-acid (LA), on the gut microbiota. C57BL/6J mice were fed with SO-based emulsion or equivalent levels of purified LA over the course of one month, and their gut microbiome was compared to that of untreated control mice. Microbial profiling was carried out by 16S rDNA next generation sequencing of fecal DNA A stable microbiome was observed over the course of LA supplementation; however a dramatic microbial shift was observed when mice were treated with SO as a whole.

As SO may undergo undesirable thermal processes resulting in the formation of the unsaturated aldehyde acrolin, a trigger for atherosclerosis, we further tested if acroline has an effect on the gut microbiome. The impact of acrolein supplementated over the course of one month on the gut microbiota was tested on apoE^−/− mice, a common murine model for atherosclerosis research. Acrolein consumption was correlated with proliferation of bacteria with known negative impacts, in association with enhanced atherogenesis. Mixures of acrolein with an antioxidant rich pomegranate juice (PJ) abolished the negative atherogenetic impact of acrolein, correlating with corresponding microbial shift.

Understanding interactions between gut microbiota and atherosclerosis progression, and discovering those specific microorganisms associated with positive impact regarding to atherosclerosis could lead to future development of prebiotic and probiotic products, as part of the personalized medicine approach.