Monounsaturated fatty acid antagonizes saturated fatty acid-induced cardiomyopathy via improving membrane fatty acid composition and endoplasmic reticulum stress

Background Obesity-induced lipotoxicity causes cardiac dysfunction in our modern lifestyle. Previously, we have shown that an increase in cardiomyocyte membrane saturated fatty acid (SFA)/ monounsaturated FA (MUFA) ratio mediates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which was implicated in the pathogenesis of SFA-induced cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, SFA supressed Sirt1/ stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1, converting enzyme from SFA to MUFA) signaling, which further worsened the membrane SFA/MUFA ratio. Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of targeting membrane fatty acid composition by MUFA. Methods and results In wild-type mice, 16-weeks SFA-rich high lard diet feeding (HLD) caused activation of PPARα signaling and the accumulation of toxic lipid intermediates (diacylglycerol and ceramide) in the heart to the same extent as a MUFA-rich high olive oil diet feeding (HOD). However, only the HLD impaired Sirt1 activity, SCD1 expression, diastolic function (increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship (EDPVR)), and cardiac remodeling (hypertrophy and fibrosis). Lipidome analysis showed that HLD-induced diastolic dysfunction coincided with an increase in membrane SFA/MUFA ratio and ER stress induction. 8-weeks HOD after 8-weeks HLD (HOD switch) showed the same degree of obesity and PPARα activation with 16-weeks HLD. By contrast, HOD switched heart were less severe Sirt1/SCD1 signaling dysregulation, increased in membrane SFA/MUFA ratio, ER stress, and cardiomyopathy (hypertrophy, fibrosis, and diastolic dysfunction) compared to 16-weeks HLD. Moreover, in cardiomyocyte-specific Sirt1 knockout mice, HOD switched heart also showed less severe increase in membrane SFA/MUFA ratio, ER stress, and cardiomyopathy compared to 16-weeks HLD although decreased SCD1 expression was not changed. Conclusions We demonstrated that MUFA-rich diet counteracted SFA-induced Sirt1/SCD1 signaling dysregulation and prevented SFA-induced increase in membrane SFA/MUFA ratio. Hence, MUFA-rich diet antagonized SFA-induced ER stress and cardiomyopathy even if Sirt1 deactivated heart (e.g., aged heart). Targeting the cardiomyocyte membrane SFA/MUFA ratio by MUFA might have a new therapeutic potential for SFA-induced cardiomyopathy. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): JSPS KAKENHI

Environmentally Relevant Concentration of Bisphenol S Shows Slight Effects on SIHUMIx

Bisphenol S (BPS) is an industrial chemical used in the process of polymerization of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and thus can be found in various plastic products and thermal papers. The microbiota disrupting effect of BPS on the community structure of the microbiome has already been reported, but little is known on how BPS affects bacterial activity and function. To analyze these effects, we cultivated the simplified human intestinal microbiota (SIHUMIx) in bioreactors at a concentration of 45 µM BPS. By determining biomass, growth of SIHUMIx was followed but no differences during BPS exposure were observed. To validate if the membrane composition was affected, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profiles were compared. Changes in the individual membrane fatty acid composition could not been described; however, the saturation level of the membranes slightly increased during BPS exposure. By applying targeted metabolomics to quantify short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), it was shown that the activity of SIHUMIx was unaffected. Metaproteomics revealed temporal effect on the community structure and function, showing that BPS has minor effects on the structure or functionality of SIHUMIx.

Lactobacillus paracasei A13 and High-Pressure Homogenization Stress Response

Sub-lethal high-pressure homogenization treatments applied to Lactobacillus paracasei A13 demonstrated to be a useful strategy to enhance technological and functional properties without detrimental effects on the viability of this strain. Modification of membrane fatty acid composition is reported to be the main regulatory mechanisms adopted by probiotic lactobacilli to counteract high-pressure stress. This work is aimed to clarify and understand the relationship between the modification of membrane fatty acid composition and the expression of genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis in Lactobacillus paracasei A13, before and after the application of different sub-lethal hyperbaric treatments. Our results showed that Lactobacillus paracasei A13 activated a series of reactions aimed to control and stabilize membrane fluidity in response to high-pressure homogenization treatments. In fact, the production of cyclic fatty acids was counterbalanced by the unsaturation and elongation of fatty acids. The gene expression data indicate an up-regulation of the genes accA, accC, fabD, fabH and fabZ after high-pressure homogenization treatment at 150 and 200 MPa, and of fabK and fabZ after a treatment at 200 MPa suggesting this regulation of the genes involved in fatty acids biosynthesis as an immediate response mechanism adopted by Lactobacillus paracasei A13 to high-pressure homogenization treatments to balance the membrane fluidity. Although further studies should be performed to clarify the modulation of phospholipids and glycoproteins biosynthesis since they play a crucial role in the functional properties of the probiotic strains, this study represents an important step towards understanding the response mechanisms of Lactobacillus paracasei A13 to sub-lethal high-pressure homogenization treatments.