title: Omega-3 fatty acids prevent early-life antibiotic exposure-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and later-life obesity.
abstract: Early-life antibiotic exposure can disrupt the founding intestinal microbial community and lead to obesity later in life. Recent studies show that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce body weight gain and chronic inflammation through modulation of the gut microbiota. We hypothesize that increased tissue levels of omega-3 fatty acids may prevent antibiotic-induced alteration of gut microbiota and obesity later in life. Here, we utilize the fat-1 transgenic mouse model, which can endogenously produce omega-3 fatty acids and thereby eliminates confounding factors of diet, to show that elevated tissue levels of omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduce body weight gain and the severity of insulin resistance, fatty liver and dyslipidemia resulting from early-life exposure to azithromycin. These effects were associated with a reversal of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota in fat-1 mice. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids on antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis and obesity, and suggest the potential utility of omega-3 supplementation as a safe and effective means for the prevention of obesity in children who are exposed to antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaliannan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: X-Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Bhan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Lipid Medicine and Technology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: J X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D064806:Dysbiosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects*; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3