Open AccessPotential beneficial effects of butyrate in intestinal and extraintestinal diseases
Author(s) -
Roberto Berni Canani,
Margherita Di Costanzo,
Ludovica Leone,
Monica Pedata,
Rosaria Meli,
Antonio Calignano
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v17.i12.1519
Subject(s) - butyrate , sodium butyrate , inflammation , motility , colorectal cancer , insulin resistance , oxidative stress , metabolic syndrome , pharmacology , biology , short chain fatty acid , medicine , cancer research , endocrinology , cancer , biochemistry , diabetes mellitus , gene , insulin , microbiology and biotechnology , fermentation
The multiple beneficial effects on human health of the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, synthesized from non-absorbed carbohydrate by colonic microbiota, are well documented. At the intestinal level, butyrate plays a regulatory role on the transepithelial fluid transport, ameliorates mucosal inflammation and oxidative status, reinforces the epithelial defense barrier, and modulates visceral sensitivity and intestinal motility. In addition, a growing number of studies have stressed the role of butyrate in the prevention and inhibition of colorectal cancer. At the extraintestinal level, butyrate exerts potentially useful effects on many conditions, including hemoglobinopathies, genetic metabolic diseases, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, and ischemic stroke. The mechanisms of action of butyrate are different; many of these are related to its potent regulatory effects on gene expression. These data suggest a wide spectrum of positive effects exerted by butyrate, with a high potential for a therapeutic use in human medicine.