The role of metaorganismal lipid metabolism in human health and disease

Most chronic diseases including coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and multiple neurodegenerative diseases are driven by dysregulated lipid metabolism. In fact, many common drugs taken by millions including aspirin, statins, fibrates, and others improve health by reorganizing systemic lipid metabolism. Although we have a wealth of information on the enzymes and pathways maintaining lipid metabolic homeostasis in our human cells, there is much less known in regard to how our gut microbiome may coordinate with the host to control systemic lipid metabolism. With advances in untargeted metabolomics, there is a rapidly expanding list of gut microbe-derived lipid metabolites with unannotated function. Many of these bacterial lipids can be assimilated into host lipids and alter host lipid metabolic processes. Here, we discuss how gut microbe-derived lipids may be further metabolized by the host through metaorganismal metabolic pathways. We also discuss the untapped therapeutic potential for targeting metaorganismal lipid metabolism for the improvement of human health.