Regulation of immune cell function by short‐chain fatty acids

Abstract

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are bacterial fermentation products, which are chemically composed by a carboxylic acid moiety and a small hydrocarbon chain. Among them, acetic, propionic and butyric acids are the most studied, presenting, respectively, two, three and four carbons in their chemical structure. These metabolites are found in high concentrations in the intestinal tract, from where they are uptaken by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). The SCFAs are partially used as a source of ATP by these cells. In addition, these molecules act as a link between the microbiota and the immune system by modulating different aspects of IECs and leukocytes development, survival and function through activation of G protein coupled receptors (FFAR2, FFAR3, GPR109a and Olfr78) and by modulation of the activity of enzymes and transcription factors including the histone acetyltransferase and deacetylase and the hypoxia-inducible factor. Considering that, it is not a surprise, the fact that these molecules and/or their targets are suggested to have an important role in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and that changes in components of this system are associated with pathological conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and others. The aim of this review is to present a clear and updated description of the effects of the SCFAs derived from bacteria on host immune system, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved on them.

The definition of neutrophil extracellular traps and the concentration of short-chain fatty acids in salmonella-induced inflammation of the intestine against the background of vancomycin and Bacteroides fragilis

“…This is confirmed by other studies on the effect of SCFA on effector functions of neutrophils [39]. SCFA, when interacting with neutrophils, can affect the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-17) and neutrophil chemoattractants (CXCL1 and 6.0×10 -6* *: the reliability of differences in the parameters of P < 0.05 in relation to the group S. typhimurium + Vancomycin.…”

Role of Microbiota in Human Life and the Prospects for the Preventive Use of Probiotics

“…С одной сторо-ны, микробиом кишечника влияет на развитие иммунной системы [29] как непосредственно, так и через пищевой метаболизм. Сниженное биоразнообразие кишечных бак-терий, которое способствует развитию хронических иммун-ных заболеваний [30] и влияет на взаимодействие кишеч-ных бактерий с пищей, опосредует активацию иммунных клеток, продуцирование цитокинов и пролиферацию Т-лимфоцитов посредством метаболизма короткоцепочеч-ных жирных кислот [31]. C другой стороны, иммунная систе-ма регулирует колонизацию и численность видов микро-биома и реакцию на комменсальные бактерии [32][33][34].…”

Comparative in vitro study of caecal microbial activity in brown hares and domestic rabbits which were offered the same diet

“…The intestinal microbiota breaks down indigestible dietary components, particularly fibre, and produces fermentation metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which mainly include acetate, propionate and butyrate. SCFAs are one of the essential energy sources for herbivorous mammals, but they also have physiological, such as immunomodulatory, regulatory and metabolic, functions as well as actions on gut motility, morphology and function (Bergman 1990;Hurst et al 2014;Kasubuchi et al 2015;Corrêa et al 2016). Microbial fermentation of carbohydrates is accompanied by the production of gases, including carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane, and the methanogenic Archaea is one of the microbial groups competing to uptake metabolic hydrogen.…”