Butyric acid in irritable bowel syndrome

Abstract

Butyric acid (butanoic acid) belongs to a group of short-chain fatty acids and is thought to play several beneficial roles in the gastrointestinal tract. Butyric anion is easily absorbed by enteric cells and used as a main source of energy. Moreover, butyric acid is an important regulator of colonocyte proliferation and apoptosis, gastrointestinal tract motility and bacterial microflora composition in addition to its involvement in many other processes including immunoregulation and anti-inflammatory activity. The pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the most commonly diagnosed functional gastrointestinal condition, is complex, and its precise mechanisms are still unclear. This article describes the potential benefits of butyric acid in IBS.

Dietary Treatment with Extensively Hydrolyzed Casein Formula Containing the Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Prevents the Occurrence of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children with Cow's Milk Allergy

“…[11][12][13][14][15] Multiple mechanisms might be responsible for this protective effect, including a positive epigenetic regulation of immune and nonimmune gene expression and of gut microbiota structure and function (ie, increased production of the short-chain fatty acid butyrate), as was recently demonstrated in children receiving this dietary regimen. [23][24][25] In particular, the increased butyrate production could be relevant, considering that this gut microbiota-derived metabolite has been proposed for the management of FGIDs, 30,31 and that it is able to shape gastrointestinal tract motility, as well as visceral and central pain perception, also through epigenetic mechanisms. [32][33][34] All these findings support the hypothesis of a pivotal role for gut microbiota dysbiosis and consequent alterations of intestinal immune and nonimmune functions in the pathogenesis of FGIDs, 2 and for the potential for LGG use to prevent these conditions in children with CMA.…”

Impact of Resistant Maltodextrins and Resistant Starch on Human Gut Microbiota and Organic Acids Production

“…These results are likely to be related to the presence of B. adolescentis and R. bromii in the feces which showed high ability to utilize RS3 . Fermentation of RS3 has been reported to yield high butyric acid content . Moreover, different types of RS with different structure may stimulate different groups of bacteria resulting in different types of SCFAs formation .…”

“…[53] Fermentation of RS3 has been reported to yield high butyric acid content. [54,55] Moreover, different types of RS with different structure may stimulate different groups of bacteria resulting in different types of SCFAs formation. [15] Metabolic cross-feeding of RS fermentation products on SCFAs formation has been discussed.…”

Gut Microbiota beyond Bacteria—Mycobiome, Virome, Archaeome, and Eukaryotic Parasites in IBD

“…The archaeal overgrowth and increased removal of SCFA from the biofilms results in dysbiosis, triggering bacteria to become endoparasitic and enter intestinal epithelial tissues, which in turn leads to inflammatory processes in the human gut [142]. The "syntrophic imbalance hypothesis" is supported by the fact that methanoarchaea overgrowth is implicated in human diseases, including the IBS [143] and the levels of butyric acid are shown to decline in patients with IBS and IBD [144,145]. Moreover, one of the suggested treatments for intestinal disorders proposes utilizing butyrate-producing bacteria supplements to enhance intestinal epithelial barrier integrity [146].…”