Mutual Links between the Endocannabinoidome and the Gut Microbiome, with Special Reference to Companion Animals: A Nutritional Viewpoint

Abstract

There is growing evidence that perturbation of the gut microbiome, known as “dysbiosis”, is associated with the pathogenesis of human and veterinary diseases that are not restricted to the gastrointestinal tract. In this regard, recent studies have demonstrated that dysbiosis is linked to the pathogenesis of central neuroinflammatory disorders, supporting the existence of the so-called microbiome-gut-brain axis. The endocannabinoid system is a recently recognized lipid signaling system and termed endocannabinoidome monitoring a variety of body responses. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that a profound link exists between the gut microbiome and the endocannabinoidome, with mutual interactions controlling intestinal homeostasis, energy metabolism and neuroinflammatory responses during physiological conditions. In the present review, we summarize the latest data on the microbiome-endocannabinoidome mutual link in health and disease, focalizing the attention on gut dysbiosis and/or altered endocannabinoidome tone that may distort the bidirectional crosstalk between these two complex systems, thus leading to gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases (e.g., idiopathic inflammation, chronic enteropathies and obesity) as well as neuroinflammatory disorders (e.g., neuropathic pain and depression). We also briefly discuss the novel possible dietary interventions based not only on probiotics and/or prebiotics, but also, and most importantly, on endocannabinoid-like modulators (e.g., palmitoylethanolamide) for intestinal health and beyond.