Effectiveness of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids against microbial pathogens

Abstract

Microorganisms provide both beneficial and harmful effects to human beings. Beneficial effects come from the symbiotic relationship that exists between humans and microbiota, but then several human illnesses have turned some friendly microbes into opportunistic pathogens, causing several microbial-related diseases. Various efforts have been made to create and utilize antimicrobial agents in the treatment and prevention of these infections, but such efforts have been hampered by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Despite extensive studies on drug discovery to alleviate this problem, issues with the toxicity and tolerance of certain compounds and continuous microbial evolution have forced researchers to focus on screening various phytochemical dietary compounds for antimicrobial activity. Linolenic acid and its derivatives (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) are omega-3 fatty acids that have been studied due to their role in human health, being important for the brain, the eye, the cardiovascular system, and general human growth. However, their utilization as antimicrobial agents has not been widely appreciated, perhaps due to a lack of understanding of antimicrobial mechanisms, toxicity, and route of administration. Therefore, this review focuses on the efficacy, mechanism, and toxicity of omega-3 fatty acids as alternative therapeutic agents for treating and preventing diseases associated with pathogenic microorganisms.

概 要

微生物给人类带来了有利又有害的一面。 这些有利的影响一般源于人们与微生物之间的共生关系。 但是人类一些疾病的产生使得看似友好的微生物成为条件致病菌, 使人们感染上微生物相关的疾病。 人们致力于研究多种抗菌剂用于治疗和抑制病原微生物的感染, 但是微生物耐药性的出现使得人们的研究进程受阻。 尽管已有大量关于药物开发的研究缓解了这个难题, 但微生物对这些药物的耐受性以及持续的微生物进化变异, 使研究人员把重点放在筛选各种植物膳食类化合物上以用于抗菌。 亚麻酸及其衍生物 (二十碳五烯酸和二十二碳六烯酸) 是已被广泛研究的 omega-3 脂肪酸, 在人类的健康方面扮演着重要的角色, 对大脑、 眼睛、 心血管系统和人的正常成长都有重要作用。 然而, 作为抗菌剂的使用并没有受到人们广泛的重视, 可能是由于人们缺乏对其抗菌机制、 药理毒性以及给药方式的了解。 因此, 本文综述了 omega-3 脂肪酸作为替代药物在治疗和预防微生物相关疾病中的作用。