Connecting a Western diet, palmitic acid, and enteric neuropathy

The Western diet (WD) is a rich source of saturated fatty acids, especially palmitic acid (PA), which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, diabetes, and multiorgan dysfunction in obesity and diabetes. In this issue of the JCI, a study by Balasubramaniam et al. describes mechanisms linking a WD, PA, ferroptosis (iron-dependent cell death), and loss of colonic motility. Chronic PA exposure drove ferroptosis in murine in vitro systems and human myenteric ganglia. Mice fed a WD for 12 weeks developed enteropathy and loss of colonic motility, which was reversed by adeno-associated virus-mediated (AAV-mediated) overexpression of the transcription factor NFE2L2, preventing ferroptosis and restoring redox balance to enteric neurons. The study provides critical data establishing PA-induced ferroptosis as a mediator and potential therapeutic target in enteric nervous system disorders associated with obesity.