Effects of deep frying vegetable oils rich in PUFAs on gut microbiota in rats

Abstract

Vegetable oils rich in PUFAs are widely used in daily cooking and food industry, and PUFAs could be utilised by gut microbiota and present prebiotic effects. However, PUFAs are unstable in high-temperature cooking like frying. In the current study, we aimed to explore the influence of thermally oxidised oils rich in PUFA on gut microbiota. Two vegetable oils: omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)-rich perilla oil or omega-6 linoleic acid-rich sunflower oil were heated at 180 °C for 10 h, and then fed to male SD rats for 14 weeks. Administration of heated perilla oil dramatically increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, a recent identified probiotics which may weaken intestinal mucus barrier, and inhibited the expression of several tight junction-related genes including occludin and claudin-1 in colon. Consumption of thermally oxidised sunflower oil stimulated the proliferation of Bifidobacterium. Our findings suggested that thermally processing has complicated effects on the prebiotic effects of vegetable oils rich in PUFAs, and perilla oil fried foods may be potential sources to stimulate Akkermansia proliferation in gut.