Cited by 2,425Gut microbiota and healthGastrointestinal motility and disordersProbiotics and Fermented Foods

The role of short chain fatty acids in health and disease

Tan, Jian, McKenzie, Craig, Potamitis, Maria, Thorburn, Alison N., Mackay, Charles R., Macia, Laurence·2014·Advances in immunology

Abstract

There is now an abundance of evidence to show that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play an important role in the maintenance of health and the development of disease. SCFAs are a subset of fatty acids that are produced by the gut microbiota during the fermentation of partially and nondigestible polysaccharides. The highest levels of SCFAs are found in the proximal colon, where they are used locally by enterocytes or transported across the gut epithelium into the bloodstream. Two major SCFA signaling mechanisms have been identified, inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) and activation of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Since HDACs regulate gene expression, inhibition of HDACs has a vast array of downstream consequences. Our understanding of SCFA-mediated inhibition of HDACs is still in its infancy. GPCRs, particularly GPR43, GPR41, and GPR109A, have been identified as receptors for SCFAs. Studies have implicated a major role for these GPCRs in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, and disease. SCFAs have been shown to alter chemotaxis and phagocytosis; induce reactive oxygen species (ROS); change cell proliferation and function; have anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, and antimicrobial effects; and alter gut integrity. These findings highlight the role of SCFAs as a major player in maintenance of gut and immune homeostasis. Given the vast effects of SCFAs, and that their levels are regulated by diet, they provide a new basis to explain the increased prevalence of inflammatory disease in Westernized countries, as highlighted in this chapter.

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Crossref · 10.1016/b978-0-12-800100-4.00003-9

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Authors
Tan, J., McKenzie, C., Potamitis, M., Thorburn, A. N., Mackay, C. R., & Macia, L.
Affiliations
Monash University (AU)
Corresponding author
  • Mackay, Charles R.
  • Macia, Laurence
Venue
Advances in immunology
Publisher
Elsevier
Published
2014
Volume
121
Pages
91-119
ISSN
0065-2776 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1948266836
Cited by
2,425
References
134
Citations by year
2026: 195 · 2025: 269 · 2024: 307 · 2023: 312 · 2022: 369 · 2021: 270 · 2020: 214 · 2019: 164 · 2018: 117 · 2017: 79 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 45 · 2014: 23
FWCI
85.17
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Advances in immunology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Gastroenterology › Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
Keywords
short-chain fatty acids, gut microbiota, histone deacetylase inhibition, G protein-coupled receptors, GPR43, GPR41, GPR109A, colonic fermentation, intestinal epithelium, inflammation, immune homeostasis, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species, anti-tumorigenic effects, antimicrobial activity, intestinal barrier integrity, diet
MeSH terms
Animals, Fatty Acids, Volatile, Humans, Inflammation, Receptors, Nicotinic, Substrate Specificity, Signal Transduction, Cytokines, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors, Microbiota

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