At the heart of microbial conversations: endocannabinoids and the microbiome in cardiometabolic risk

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rheinallt Jones, Emory University; Ramsha Nabihah Khan, Emory University; Kristal Maner-Smith, Emory University; Joshua A. Owens, Emory University; Maria Barbian, Emory University; Rheinallt M. Jones, Emory University; Crystal R. Naudin, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-01-01
• Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2021.1911572
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: GUT MICROBES
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 21
• Grant/Funding Information: American Heart Association fellowship 19POST34370006 (C.R.N.); and supported in part by ;National Institutes of Health [R01DK098391, R01CA179424] (R.M.J)
• Keywords: Life Sciences & Biomedicine; ANANDAMIDE LEVELS; INTESTINAL MOTILITY; HIGH-FAT DIET; Science & Technology; microbiome; NUCLEUS-ACCUMBENS SHELL; metabolic syndrome; Microbiology; SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS; Endocannabinoid; ACID AMIDE HYDROLASE; CELL-DEATH; 2-ARACHIDONOYL GLYCEROL; FOOD-DEPRIVATION; cardiovascular; probiotic; CB1 CANNABINOID RECEPTORS; Gastroenterology & Hepatology; sexual dimorphism

Abstract

Cardiometabolic syndrome encompasses intertwined risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, elevated triglycerides, abdominal obesity, and other maladaptive metabolic and inflammatory aberrations. As the molecular mechanisms linking cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders are investigated, endocannabinoids have emerged as molecules of interest. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) of biologically active lipids has been implicated in several conditions, including chronic liver disease, osteoporosis, and more recently in cardiovascular diseases. The gut microbiome is a major regulator of inflammatory and metabolic signaling in the host, and if disrupted, has the potential to drive metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Extensive studies have unraveled the impact of the gut microbiome on host physiology, with recent reports showing that gut microbes exquisitely control the ECS, with significant influences on host metabolic and cardiac health. In this review, we outline how modulation of the gut microbiome affects host metabolism and cardiovascular health via the ECS, and how these findings could be exploited as novel therapeutic targets for various metabolic and cardiac diseases.