Dose-related effects of early-life intake of sn-2 palmitate, a specific positionally distributed human milk fatty acid, on the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 2023-12, Vol.106 (12), p.8272-8286
• Main Authors: Wang, S, Zheng, C, Guo, D, Chen, W, Xie, Q, Zhai, Q
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1,3-dioleyl-2-palmitoylglycerol; dose-dependent effect; intestinal microbiota; metabolite; sn-2 palmitate
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23361

sn2 Palmitate in human milk plays an important role in the physiological health of infants by reducing mineral loss, improving stool hardness, and relieving constipation. Also, sn-2 palmitate modulates intestinal microbiota. However, it remains unclear whether the effects of sn-2 palmitate on infant gut microbiota are dose-dependent. In this study, we investigated the effects of low, medium, and high doses (600, 1,800, and 5,400 mg/kg body weight, respectively) of sn-2 palmitate on the structure, composition, and metabolic function of intestinal microbes in mice. Our results showed that high doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly modulated α- and β-diversity of the intestinal microbiota. The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group decreased with increasing doses of sn-2 palmitate. In contrast, the abundances of Bacteroidetes phylum, Bacteroides, uncultured_Lachnospiraceae, and uncultured_Muribaculaceae were positively correlated with sn-2 palmitate doses. The number of genes predicted encoding autophagy-yeast, phospholipase D signaling pathway, and pentose and glucuronate interconversion metabolic functions of intestinal microbiota increased with increasing doses of sn-2 palmitate. In addition, low and medium doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly upregulated the arginine and proline metabolic pathways, and high doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly increased purine metabolism. Our results revealed that the effects of sn-2 palmitate intake early in life on the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota of mice showed dose-related differences. The study is expected to provide a scientific basis for the development of infant formulas.