Dietary-Derived Exosome-like Nanoparticles as Bacterial Modulators: Beyond MicroRNAs

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that food is an important factor that influences the composition of the gut microbiota. Usually, all the attention has been focused on nutrients such as lipids, proteins, vitamins, or polyphenols. However, a pivotal role in these processes has been linked to dietary-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (DELNs). While food macro- and micronutrient composition are largely well established, there is considerable interest in these DELNs and their cargoes. In this sense, traditionally, all the attention was focused on the proteins or miRNAs contained in these vesicles. However, it has been shown that DELNs would also carry other bioactive molecules with a key role in regulating biochemical pathways and/or interactions with the host’s gut microbiome affecting intracellular communication. Due to the scarce literature, it is necessary to compile the current knowledge about the antimicrobial capacity of DELNs and its possible molecular mechanisms that will serve as a starting point. For this reason, in this review, we highlight the impact of DENLs on different bacteria species modulating the host gut microbiota or antibacterial properties. It could be concluded that DELNs, isolated from both plant and animal foods, exert gut microbiota modulation. However, the presence of miRNA in the vesicle cargoes is not the only one responsible for this effect. Lipids present in the DELNs membrane or small molecules packed in may also be responsible for apoptosis signaling, inhibition, or growth promoters.

Impact of FADS genotype on polyunsaturated fatty acid content in human milk extracellular vesicles: A genetic association study

“…Dietary EV uptake into the gut is dependent on EV lipid composition because the depletion of phosphatidic acid from EVs reduced uptake, whereas the addition of exogenous phosphatidic acid (34:2 and 36:4) rescued EV uptake. 39 The permeability of the gut to EVs is also reliant on LCPUFAs and LCPUFA-derived metabolites. 16,37,40 For example, AA is a precursor to biologically active eicosanoids, including prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leukotrienes, and oxylipins, which regulate permeability through physiological barriers.…”

“…To exert bioactive functions, human milk EVs must pass through barriers, including the intestine and endothelial cell lining. Dietary EV uptake into the gut is dependent on EV lipid composition because the depletion of phosphatidic acid from EVs reduced uptake, whereas the addition of exogenous phosphatidic acid (34:2 and 36:4) rescued EV uptake 39 . The permeability of the gut to EVs is also reliant on LCPUFAs and LCPUFA‐derived metabolites 16,37,40 .…”

Dietary Epigenetic Modulators: Unravelling the Still-Controversial Benefits of miRNAs in Nutrition and Disease

“…A report on stomach tissues of patients with different gastric conditions, such as gastritis, metaplasia, and cancer, unveiled higher plant-derived miR-168 levels in tissues of patients affected by intestinal metaplasia [ 62 ]. In particular, the ginger-derived miR-1078, by regulating leptin, is related to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced interleukin (IL)-6 expression, whereas miR-167a acts as a gut microbiota modulator targeting Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG SpaC pilus adhesin [ 63 , 64 ]. Among the different miRNAs contained in the ginger-derived exosomes-like nanoparticles (GELNs), mdo-miR-7267-3p increased the production of IL-22, thus inducing mice colitis [ 65 ], while the plant-derived miR-34a, miR-143, and miR-145 act as tumor suppressors in the mouse CRC model [ 66 ].…”

Extracellular Vesicles: A Crucial Player in the Intestinal Microenvironment and Beyond

“…The positive effects of these alterations are not fully understood, but a vast majority of studies have shown that milk EVs can increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria while diminishing harmful bacteria in mouse models. Although the extent of these changes varies in male and female mice, a general pattern remains consistent, that these changes in microbiota will affect the intestinal level of metabolites produced by the microbiota, especially SCFAs [ 77 ], and increase intestinal epithelial absorptive cells [ 78 ]. SCFAs produced by the gut microbiota are mainly propionate, acetate, and butyrate, which not only regulate the growth of the intestinal microbial community but also provide energy for the gut microbiota and the host’s intestinal barrier cells [ 79 ].…”