Short-term diet intervention comprising of olive oil, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids alters the small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) landscape of human sperm.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine how a dietary intervention including omega-3 fatty acids affects the expression of small non-coding RNAs in human sperm and their potential role in offspring health.
Results Summary
The study found that a 6-week dietary intervention with omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, and vitamin D altered the expression of specific small non-coding RNAs (tRFs, miRNAs, and piRNAs) in sperm, targeting genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and transposable elements. However, the sample size was small (n=17), and the direct health outcomes in offspring were not assessed.
Population
Male participants from the PREPARE trial (subset of 17 individuals: 9 controls, 8 intervention).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
6 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nutritional intervention with olive oil, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids | neutral | expression of 3 tRFs, 15 miRNAs and 112 piRNAs | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | altered expression | #1 |
Nutritional intervention with olive oil, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids | neutral | genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and transposable elements in the sperm genome | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | targeting genes involved | #2 |
- | neutral | expression of 5'tRFs, miRNAs and piRNAs | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | were associated | #3 |
- | neutral | age | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | were associated | #4 |
- | neutral | BMI | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | were associated | #5 |
- | neutral | sperm quality | participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial | - | were associated | #6 |
Offspring health outcomes are often linked with epigenetic alterations triggered by maternal nutrition and intrauterine environment. Strong experimental data also link paternal preconception nutrition with pathophysiology in the offspring, but the mechanism(s) routing effects of paternal exposures remain elusive. Animal experimental models have highlighted small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) as potential regulators of paternal effects. Here, we characterised the baseline sncRNA landscape of human sperm and the effect of a 6-week dietary intervention on their expression profile. This study involves sncRNAseq profiling, that was performed on a subset (n = 17) of the participants enrolled in the PREPARE trial: 9 from the control group and 8 from the intervention group. 5'tRFs, miRNAs and piRNAs were the most abundant sncRNA subtypes identified; their expression was associated with age, BMI, and sperm quality. Nutritional intervention with olive oil, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids altered expression of 3 tRFs, 15 miRNAs and 112 piRNAs, targeting genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and transposable elements in the sperm genome. PREPARE Trial registration number: ISRCTN50956936, Trial registration date: 10/02/2014.