Long-chain fats like oleic acid more likely to induce inflammation

Washington, January 9 (ANI): University of Kentucky scientists in the United States have revealed that long-chain fats like oleic acid, which is found in olive oil, are more prone to induce inflammation.

Erik Eckhardt and his colleagues say that long-chain fats seem to promote increased intestinal absorption of pro-inflammatory bacterial molecules called lipopolysaccharides (LPS).

While dietary fats that have short chains-such as those found in milk and cheese products-can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the intestines, long-chain fats need to be first packaged by the intestinal cells into particles known as chylomicrons-large complexes similar to HDL and LDL particles.

The researchers say that they wanted to determine whether some unwanted LPS particles, routinely shed by the bacteria that inhabit the human gut, might also be sneaking in the chylomicrons.

According to them, their hypothesis turned out to be correct.

Upon treating cultured human intestinal cells with oleic acid, the research team observed significant secretion of LPS together with the chylomicron particles, a phenomenon that was not observed when the cells were treated with short-chain butyric acid.

The researchers also refer to mouse studies that made similar findings, and showed that high amounts of dietary oleic acid, not butyric acid, promoted significant absorption of LPS into the blood and lymph nodes and subsequent expression of inflammatory genes.

Eckhardt believes that his team's findings may pave the way for future therapies for Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel disorders.

He also says that his study once again highlights the importance of the diverse bacteria that call our intestines home.

A research article on the study has been published in the January issue of JLR. (ANI)