Gut Microbiota-Derived Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in Health and Disease

Abstract

Dietary fatty acids have a major role to play in human health and disease conditions as they are now recognized as the major biologic regulators. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a generic term denoting a group of isomers of linoleic acid (C18:2, n-6) with a conjugated double bond. CLA is produced as a result of the biohydrogenation of other fatty acids and has attracted increased research interest because of its health-promoting benefits and biological functions. CLA has been shown to impact immune function and has protective effects against cancer, obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis that are evident from both preclinical and clinical studies. Studies investigating the mechanisms involved in the biological functions of CLA are emerging with results from both in vivo and in vitro studies. The most commonly used isomers of CLA which have a prominent effect on metabolic and homeostatic regulation are mostly concerned with two of its isomers i.ec9,t11-CLA and t10,c12-CLA. In this study, the role of CLA on various forms of cancers has been given priority along with its mechanism to enable the future research more translational. However, we believe that more intense research is required to further evaluate its efficacious nature and future implication in therapeutics.