EVALUATION OF GUT ENVIRONMENT IN HEALTHY AND ALZHEIMER DISEASE PATIENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF A MEDITERRANEAN DIET

MOSSE JUANA INÉS; YUSTE SILVIA; FRAGA, C. G; GALLEANO, M; MATUTE TOBIAS BELINDA; LOPEZ ALAVA SARA; LOZANO OCHOA CRISTINA; PEREZ MATUTE PATRICIA; MOTILVA MARÍA JOSÉ

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXVII Reunión anual de SAIC; 2022

Introduction. Mediterranean diet (MD) has beenproposed as a dietary pattern model to prevent or delay brain dysfunction bygut manipulation. Alterations of colonic environment including microbialpopulation and derived metabolites have been associated with neurologicalalterations explained by gut-brain connection. Differences in metabolic profilebetween healthy and Alzheimer disease (AD) patients may offer the possibilityto identify potential target to treat or delay the onset of the disease. The aim of this study was to identifypossible metabolic alterations in the colon environment of AD patients comparedwith matched controls in the context of a MD. Material and methods. Healthy subjects (n=19) and AD patients(n=25) of both sexes, between 55-75 y from La Rioja, Spain, participated inthis observational study. Data concerning dietary habits were obtained duringpersonal interview and processed to calculate MD adherence score and nutrientsintake. Plasmatic and fecal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) were determined byGC-MS/MS and fecal biomarkers of intestinal inflammation (IL-1β, TNF-α, calprotectin) were quantified by ELISA. Results. Dietary data and intestinalmetabolites are reported in control and AD volunteers. Despite similar MDscore, the consumption of animal proteins (p=0.048), fruits (p=0.006) andphenol flavones (p=0.013) were different between groups. Feces of controls wereenriched in caproic acid (p=0.008) whereas propionic acid (p=0.017) was moreabundant in fecal samples of AD patients. In plasma, isovaleric acid was higherin the control group (p=0.041). Regarding the biomarkers of intestinalinflammation, we observed that IL-1β was increased in feces of control volunteers (p=0.008). Correlationsamong SCFA, IL-1β anddietary parameters were also evaluated. Conclusions.These initial data suggest difference in microbial metabolism among healthy andAD patients which could be considered as possible participants in the gut-brainaxis communication.