Short-Chain Fatty Acids-A Healthy Bus between Gut Microbiota and Organs beyond the Gut

Abstract

The impact of the gut microbiota is not limited to the intestine, but its interaction with the host produces active metabolites, which can be transported by the blood circulation to play important roles in various parts of the body. Among them, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as important active products of gut bacteria, have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and can play active roles as signaling molecules in the development of various intestinal and extraintestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, allergic airway disease, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. In this way, modulation of the intestinal microbiota and metabolism-active substances has gradually become a popular therapeutic method for many diseases of organs beyond the gut. To find new therapeutic targets for major human health problems, this article reviews the research on SCFAs in extraintestinal diseases.