Cited by 134Gut microbiota and healthMicrobial Metabolites in Food BiotechnologyAnimal Nutrition and Physiology

New insight into butyrate metabolism

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Knudsen, Knud Erik Bach, Serena, Anja, Canibe, Nuria, Juntunen, Katri S.·2003·Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

Abstract

Butyrate is a C 4 acid produced by microbial fermentation of carbohydrates and protein in the large intestine of all animal species. The factor of prime importance for the production rate of butyrate in the lower gut is type and levels of non-digestible carbohydrates entering the large intestine. It was previously believed that 85–90% of the butyrate produced in the gut was cleared when passing the gut epithelium, but recent studies with catheterised pigs have shown that the concentration of butyrate in the portal vein is strongly influenced by the production rate in the large intestine. Increased gut production of butyrate further raises the circulating level of butyrate. For good reason it is not possible with current technologies to perform direct measurements of the variation in the butyrate concentration in the portal vein of human subjects, but short-chain fatty acid levels in portal blood from sudden-death victims, subjects undergoing emergency surgery or planned surgery have indicated a higher gut production and absolute and relative concentration of butyrate in non-fasted as compared with fasted human subjects. However, despite an expected higher gut production of butyrate when feeding a high-fibre rye-bread-based diet as compared with a low-fibre wheat-bread-based diet, there was no difference in absolute or relative levels of butyrate in the peripheral blood of human subjects.

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  1. Cummings JH, Gibson GR & Macfarlane GT (1989) Quantitative estimates of fermentation in the hind gut of man. In International Symposium on Comparative Aspects of the Physiology of Digestion in Ruminant and Hindgut Fermenters, pp. 76-82 [E Skadhauge and P Nørgaard, editors]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica.
  2. Kim YS, Tsao D, Siddiqui B, Whitehead JS, Arnstein P, Bennett J & Hicks J (1981) Effects of sodium butyrate and dimethylsulfoxide on biochemical properties of human colon cancer cells. Cancer 45, 1185-1192. Kristensen NB & Danfær A (2001) The relationship between gastrointestinal production and portal absorption of short-chain fatty acids in ruminants. In Energy Metabolism in Animals, pp. 277-280 [A Chwalibog and K Jakobsen, editors]. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Wageningen Pers.

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Authors
Knudsen, K. E. B., Serena, A., Canibe, N., & Juntunen, K. S.
Affiliations
University of Eastern Finland (FI)
Corresponding author
Knudsen, Knud Erik Bach
Venue
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Published
2003-02
Volume
62
Issue
1
Pages
81-86
ISSN
  • 0029-6651 (ISSN-L)
  • 1475-2719
OpenAlex
W2117896755
Cited by
134
References
27
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of The Nutrition Society (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Nutrition and Physiology
Keywords
butyrate metabolism, short-chain fatty acids, colonic fermentation, non-digestible carbohydrates, intestinal epithelium, portal vein, dietary fiber, rye bread, wheat bread, fasting
MeSH terms
Animals, Butyrates, Catheterization, Dietary Fiber, Fermentation, Humans, Intestinal Absorption, Intestine, Large, Proteins, Swine, Models, Animal, Carbohydrate Metabolism

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