From Dietary Fiber to Host Physiology: Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Bacterial Metabolites
- Cell. 2016 Jun 2;165(6):1332-1345. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041.
Affiliations
- 1. Wallenberg Laboratory and Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.
- 2. Wallenberg Laboratory and Sahlgrenska Center for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section for Metabolic Receptology and Enteroendocrinology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 København, Denmark. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 27259147
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.041
Abstract
A compelling set of links between the composition of the gut microbiota, the host diet, and host physiology has emerged. Do these links reflect cause-and-effect relationships, and what might be their mechanistic basis? A growing body of work implicates microbially produced metabolites as crucial executors of diet-based microbial influence on the host. Here, we will review data supporting the diverse functional roles carried out by a major class of Bacterial metabolites, the short-chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs). SCFAs can directly activate G-coupled-receptors, inhibit histone deacetylases, and serve as energy substrates. They thus affect various physiological processes and may contribute to health and disease.