Associations Among Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, the Gut Microbiota, and Intestinal Immunity

Overview

Journal Mediators Inflamm

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Biochemistry
Pathology

Date 2021 Jan 25

PMID 33488295

Citations 97

Authors

Yawei Fu

Yadong Wang

Hu Gao

Donghua Li

Ruirui Jiang

Lingrui Ge

Chao Tong

Kang Xu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs), which are essential fatty acids that humans should obtain from diet, have potential benefits for human health. In addition to altering the structure and function of cell membranes, omega-3 PUFAs (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)) exert different effects on intestinal immune tolerance and gut microbiota maintenance. Firstly, we review the effect of omega-3 PUFAs on gut microbiota. And the effects of omega-3 PUFAs on intestinal immunity and inflammation were described. Furthermore, the important roles of omega-3 PUFAs in maintaining the balance between gut immunity and the gut microbiota were discussed. Additional factors, such as obesity and diseases (NAFLD, gastrointestinal malignancies or cancer, bacterial and viral infections), which are associated with variability in omega-3 PUFA metabolism, can influence omega-3 PUFAs-microbiome-immune system interactions in the intestinal tract and also play roles in regulating gut immunity. This review identifies several pathways by which the microbiota modulates the gut immune system through omega-3 PUFAs. Omega-3 supplementation can be targeted to specific pathways to prevent and alleviate intestinal diseases, which may help researchers identify innovative diagnostic methods.

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