Exploring the interplay between dietary plant glycolipids and gut microbiota: A systematic review

Considering the shift towards plant-based diets, it becomes necessary to better understand the roles of plant-derived nutrients in health. Despite their abundance in green plants, the role of plant glycolipids (GLs) in metabolic health remains scarcely known. Gut microbiota is a key actor in the regulation of host health, whose interplay with diet is complex. This systematic review examines the available evidence on potential interactions between dietary plant GLs and the gut microbiota. A structured search strategy was used to identify preclinical and human studies assessing the impact of plant GLs on the gut microbiota composition or the potential degradation of plant GLs by gut bacteria. Among 345 screened records, 13 studies were finally included. Both animal- and human-based evidence suggest that plant GLs may impact the gut microbiota composition, with beneficial effects for host by promoting a healthy gut bacterial ecosystem (increase in gut health-related bacteria and a reduction in some pathobionts). Some GLs exhibit in vitro antibacterial properties, and several pathways of GL bacterial degradation have been described, suggesting that the gut microbiota uses plant GLs as a source of nutrients. Such promising evidence highlights the potential prebiotic role of plant GLs and encourages further study of the gut-associated metabolic effects of plant GLs in humans.