Abstract
Recently, we reported that administration of Bifidobacteria resulted in increased concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in murine adipose tissue [1]. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of co-administration of Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702258 and the substrate for EPA, α-linolenic acid, on host fatty acid composition. α-Linolenic acid-supplemented diets (1%, wt/wt) were fed to mice (n = 8), with or without B. breve NCIMB 702258 (daily dose of 109 microorganisms) for 8 weeks. Two further groups received either supplement of B. breve alone or unsupplemented diet. Tissue fatty acid composition was assessed by gas liquid chromatography. Dietary supplementation of α-linolenic acid resulted in higher (P < 0.05) α-linolenic acid and EPA concentrations in liver and adipose tissue and lower (P < 0.05) arachidonic acid in liver, adipose tissue and brain compared with mice that did not receive α-linolenic acid. Supplementation with B. breve NCIMB 702258 in combination with α-linolenic acid resulted in elevated (P < 0.05) liver EPA concentrations compared with α-linolenic acid supplementation alone. Furthermore, the former group had higher (P < 0.05) DHA in brain compared with the latter group. These results suggest a role for interactions between fatty acids and commensals in the gastrointestinal tract. This interaction between administered microbes and fatty acids could result in a highly effective nutritional approach to the therapy of a variety of inflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 429-436 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Lipids |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2010 |
Keywords
- Bifidobacteria
- Docosahexaenoic acid
- Eicosapentaenoic acid
- Microbiota
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Probiotics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Organic Chemistry