Oleoylethanolamide treatment affects gut microbiota composition and the expression of intestinal cytokines in Peyer’s patches of mice

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 14881 - 12
• Main Authors: Di Paola, Monica, Bonechi, Elena, Provensi, Gustavo, Costa, Alessia, Clarke, Gerard, Ballerini, Clara, De Filippo, Carlotta, Passani, M. Beatrice
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 05.10.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13; 13/21; 45; 45/23; 631/250/347; 631/326/2565/2142; Anti-inflammatory agents; Appetite; Astrophysics; Bacteroidetes; Cognitive ability; Cytokines; Digestive system; Firmicutes; Gastrointestinal tract; High fat diet; Humanities and Social Sciences; Immune response; Inflammation; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Lipolysis; Low fat diet; Microbiota; Mimicry; multidisciplinary; Nutrient deficiency; Oleic acid; Oxidation; Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; Phenotypes; Physics; Polysaccharides; Saccharides; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Oleoylethanolamide (OEA); Fecal Microbiota Profile; Bacteroides Genus; Bacteroidetes Ratio; Phylogenetic Investigation Of Communities By Reconstruction Of Unobserved States (PICRUSt)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32925-x

The lipid sensor oleoylethanolamide (OEA), an endogenous high-affinity agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) secreted in the proximal intestine, is endowed with several distinctive homeostatic properties, such as control of appetite, anti-inflammatory activity, stimulation of lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. When administered exogenously, OEA has beneficial effects in several cognitive paradigms; therefore, in all respects, OEA can be considered a hormone of the gut-brain axis. Here we report an unexplored modulatory effect of OEA on the intestinal microbiota and on immune response. Our study shows for the first time that sub-chronic OEA administration to mice fed a normal chow pellet diet, changes the faecal microbiota profile, shifting the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio in favour of Bacteroidetes (in particular Bacteroides genus) and decreasing Firmicutes ( Lactobacillus ), and reduces intestinal cytokines expression by immune cells isolated from Peyer’s patches. Our results suggest that sub-chronic OEA treatment modulates gut microbiota composition towards a “lean-like phenotype”, and polarises gut-specific immune responses mimicking the effect of a diet low in fat and high in polysaccharides content.