Description du projet
Comprendre le rôle des composés neuroactifs de l’alimentation dans le développement des maladies neurodégénératives
De plus en plus de preuves mettent en évidence les liens entre l’alimentation, l’intestin et les maladies neurodégénératives. Financé par le programme Actions Marie Skłodowska-Curie, le projet NeuroTOm a pour ambition de mieux comprendre l’importance de l’exposition aux composés neuroactifs dans l’alimentation. En utilisant la tomate comme source d’alimentation, l’étude fera la lumière sur le rôle de ces substances chimiques dans l’axe intestin-cerveau et le développement de maladies neurodégénératives après digestion. Les composés neuroprotecteurs et neuroperturbateurs de tomates biologiques, conventionnelles et transformées seront caractérisés par spectrométrie de masse. Des modèles de colon in vitro seront utilisés pour étudier le devenir de ces composés dans l’intestin et identifier les métabolites microbiens intestinaux ainsi que leurs effets sur les cellules de l’épithélium intestinal.
Objectif
Neurodegenerative (ND) diseases are debilitating and largely untreatable conditions that affect millions worldwide, including 7+ million Europeans. Although there remains no cure, there is growing evidence of a correlation between diet, gut, and ND diseases but a deeper understanding of what happens to neuroactive compounds once digested and their role in the communication between gut and brain is still missing. In response, NeuroTOm will answer complex questions about human exposure to neuroactive compounds (using tomato as a model food), such as what happens to these chemicals during digestion and their role in the gut-brain axis and ND disease development. It will use advanced mass spectrometry-based techniques to characterise neuroprotective and neuro-disrupting compounds in tomatoes produced organically, conventionally, and processed. An in vitro batch colon model will then be applied to investigate the fate of these compounds in the gut microbiome and identify gut-microbial metabolites. A step towards more realistic conditions will be made by investigating how the presence of neuro-disrupting compounds influences the bioavailability and beneficial effects of neuroprotective compounds in the gut. Selected compounds will also be tested using an innovative in vitro 3D colon (organoid) model to determine the role of neuroprotective/disruptive compounds and their gut microbial metabolites on intestinal epithelium cells. The proposed research is highly interdisciplinary and encompasses analytical and food chemistry, holistic and multi-omics approaches, nutritional biochemistry, biotechnology, and aspects of neuroscience. The goal of NeuroTOm is to extend the knowledge of diet–gut microbiome–host (brain) interactions and will contribute towards preventing or alleviating the burden of ND disease.
Champ scientifique
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-AG-UN - HORIZON Unit GrantCoordinateur
38098 San Michele All'Adige
Italie