Metabolic and functional interplay between gut microbiota and fat-soluble vitamins

Abstract

Gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem seen as an extension of human genome. It represents a major metabolic interface of interaction with food components and xenobiotics in the gastrointestinal (GI) environment. In this context, the advent of modern bacterial genome sequencing technology has enabled the identification of dietary nutrients as key determinants of gut microbial ecosystem able to modulate the host-microbiome symbiotic relationship and its effects on human health. This article provides a literature review on functional and molecular interactions between a specific group of lipids and essential nutrients, e.g., fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs), and the gut microbiota. A two-way relationship appears to emerge from the available literature with important effects on human metabolism, nutrition, GI physiology and immune function. First, FSV directly or indirectly modify the microbial composition involving for example immune system-mediated and/or metabolic mechanisms of bacterial growth or inhibition. Second, the gut microbiota influences at different levels the synthesis, metabolism and transport of FSV including their bioactive metabolites that are either introduced with the diet or released in the gut via entero-hepatic circulation. A better understanding of these interactions, and of their impact on intestinal and metabolic homeostasis, will be pivotal to design new and more efficient strategies of disease prevention and therapy, and personalized nutrition.

Keywords:

• Fat-soluble vitamins
• gut microbiota
• gut-liver axis
• omega-3 fatty acids
• omega-6 fatty acids
• vitamin A
• vitamin D
• vitamin E
• vitamin K

Disclosure statement

The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1 This term is used to define a host and its associated communities of microorganisms.

2 The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes; moderate consumption of milk and derivatives, lipids (with preponderance of olive oil consumption), grape, dried fruit, fish and white meat, and low consumption of red meat and sweets.

3 A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.

Additional information

Funding

F.G. is recipient of the grant programs: Grant program “Ricerca di base” of the University of Perugia, Italy; Foundation “Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia,” research call 7/2019 – “Aging, therapy and prevention of frailty” – Application #10435 “Frailty in obese insulin-resistant patients: the role of senescence in adipose mesenchymal stem cells” (grant 2019.0320, #5151).