Regulation of lipid metabolism by gut microbiota in aquatic animals

Lipids are an essential component of living beings and an important group of nutrients. As the gut microbiota plays important roles in the intestinal absorption and extraintestinal metabolism of dietary lipids, the current review addresses the recent progress regarding the interactions between the gut microbiota and lipid metabolism in aquatic animals, with a focus on fish. We discuss in detail how dietary lipid sources and content affect the composition of the gut microbiome and the mechanism by which the gut microbiota affects the lipid metabolism of the host. This interaction is largely mediated via microbial lipases, short-chain fatty acids and the gut-liver axis. The latter refers to the metabolism of biliary salts and acids, the regulation of their synthesis by gut microbes and their impact on the lipid metabolism. Finally, we briefly discuss how probiotic supplementation modulates the host's microbiome, and how probiotics have a beneficial effect on health and welfare of farmed aquatic animals. Although the influence of intestinal microbiota on lipid metabolism has been explored before, further research is needed to profoundly investigate the molecular mechanisms by which microbial metabolites (SCFAs and bile acids) induce lipid metabolism.