Palmitoylethanolamide counteracts high-fat diet-induced gut dysfunction by reprogramming microbiota composition and affecting tryptophan metabolism
Laboratory studyOther animals
- Design
- Laboratory study
- Subjects
- Male mice on a high-fat diet, 5 to 6 in each of three groups
- Dose used in the study
- 30 mg/kg a day of ultramicronised palmitoylethanolamide by mouth
- Duration
- 7 weeks, starting after 12 weeks on the high-fat diet
- What was measured
- Inflammation in the colon, the tryptophan to kynurenine pathway, serotonin levels and the make-up of gut bacteria
What the authors reported
Inflammatory markers in the colon were lower, along with reduced immune cell recruitment and lower corticotropin-releasing hormone levels; serotonin was higher and kynurenine lower, with a shift in gut bacteria towards butyrate-producing types. The ratio of the two main bacterial groups returned to the level seen on a standard diet.
Limits of this study
A study in 5 to 6 male mice per group, in one model of obesity. The authors name these limits. A human trial in this database, Batacan 2024, found no significant change in gut bacteria. The study was partly funded by Epitech Group, which makes the product.
Source
PubMed 37599675 · doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1143004
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed, and the full text at the publisher (Frontiers) on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.