Centre of Excellence for Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Immunity Research, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2X8, Canada.
Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 1C9, Canada.
Curr Microbiol. 2023 Oct 8;80(11):363. doi: 10.1007/s00284-023-03482-y.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) have been associated with several inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), and found to have an impact on gut microbiota. In fact, some randomized controlled studies suggest benefits to IBD patients, but others do not. Our aim was to review recent evidence on the effects of omega-3 on IBD and establish the contribution of the gut microbiome. Omega-3 mediate anti-inflammatory effects in IBD through various mechanisms, including suppression of NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) signaling; this results in the repression of the nuclear factor-kappa B (Nf-kB) pathway and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Omega-3 can also affect gut microbiota and revert the bacterial community to patterns associated with healthy status by increasing short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria and enhancing the mucosal gut barrier, thus promoting homeostasis. The combination of these immunoregulatory effects and anti-inflammation properties with the promotion of a balanced gut microbiome environment could suggest that omega-3 might benefit IBD patients. Considering the microbiota of IBD patients while using omega-3 might predict and improve omega-3 effectiveness. Combining omega-3 with bacteria-altering therapy, such as probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, may further enhance its efficacy; however, further studies are required to elucidate mechanisms and potential preventive or treatment roles of omega-3 in IBD.
ω-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（ω-3 PUFAs）与多种炎症性疾病有关，包括炎症性肠病（IBD），并发现其对肠道微生物群有影响。事实上，一些随机对照研究表明对 IBD 患者有益，但其他研究则不然。我们的目的是综述ω-3 对 IBD 的影响的最新证据，并确定肠道微生物组的贡献。ω-3 通过多种机制在 IBD 中发挥抗炎作用，包括抑制 NOD 样受体家族 pyrin 结构域包含 3（NLRP3）炎性体、Toll 样受体-4（TLR4）和核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域 2（NOD2）信号通路；这导致核因子-κB（NF-κB）途径的抑制和促炎细胞因子的分泌。ω-3 还可以通过增加短链脂肪酸（SCFA）产生菌并增强黏膜肠道屏障来影响肠道微生物群并使细菌群落恢复到与健康状态相关的模式，从而促进体内平衡。这些免疫调节作用和抗炎特性与促进平衡的肠道微生物群环境的结合可能表明ω-3 可能使 IBD 患者受益。在使用ω-3 时考虑 IBD 患者的微生物群可能有助于预测和改善ω-3 的有效性。将 ω-3 与改变细菌的治疗方法（如益生菌和粪便微生物群移植）相结合可能进一步增强其疗效；然而，还需要进一步的研究来阐明 ω-3 在 IBD 中的机制和潜在的预防或治疗作用。
