I-Corps: Fenchol Enriched Dietary Supplements

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a dietary supplement that may prevent the onset of cognitive disorders and decline. The gut microbiome plays an important role in maintaining healthy cognitive health, however, adverse changes in the microbiome can contribute to cognitive decline. The pathway by which the microbiome benefits the brain and other health measures is showing action through the production of beneficial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids. Preclinical studies have shown that short chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate, and butyrate protect against dementia. However, maintaining a healthy beneficial microbiome over the long-term is hard to practice in real-life. The proposed technology focuses on developing a naturally derived basil extract dietary supplement in the form of a medicinal food for maintaining a health gut-brain axis and cognitive health in elderly individuals. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a dietary supplement that promotes a healthy microbiome to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia associated with aging. The technology was discovered based on mimicking the mechanism of action of microbiome synthesized short chain fatty acids that have beneficial effects in maintaining healthy brain function. Short chain fatty acids protect neuronal cells from various cytotoxic exposures and maintain brain health through free fatty acid receptors. Free fatty acid receptors are abundantly expressed in the neurons, therefore, their actions are amenable to directly modulate brain health. However, short chain fatty acids are not able to reach the brain when given through the oral route. To overcome this drawback, fenchol, a basil extract compound that has similar properties to short chain fatty acids, has been identified as a way to activate the free fatty acid receptors and protect the brain health from neurodegeneration. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.