Short Chain Fatty Acids News and Research

RSS

Butyrate and propionate are two important short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced in the human gut. They have been shown to have significant immune system effects in the intestinal mucosa, by inducing the differentiation of T-regulatory cells via inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC). This enzyme keeps chromatin from unwinding and, therefore, inhibits gene transcription.

Nutrient Derived From Meat and Dairy Enhances Cancer Killing Ability of Immune Cells

Trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), a long-chain fatty acid found in meat and dairy products from grazing animals such as cows and sheep, improves the ability of CD8+ T cells to infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.

27 Nov 2023

The Adaptable World of Dendritic Cells in Immunity

Dendritic cells play a pivotal role within the mammalian immune system, being distributed throughout the human body.

31 Oct 2023

How Plant-Derived Nutrients can Affect the Gut and Brain

Can plant-derived nutrients alter gut bacteria to affect brain function? Scientists from the University of Leipzig Medical Center, the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research investigated this question in a study of overweight adults.

11 Oct 2023

Lung immunity in neonates is influenced by the mother’s microbiota

A recent study led by Bruno Silva Santos, Group Leader and Vice-Director at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, found that a specific subset of white blood cells called γδ T cells affects the transfer of the mother’s microbiota during childbirth and breastfeeding and affects the infants’ lung immune response.

15 Feb 2023

Researchers analyze gut microbiome with dietary fiber through ecological model

Dietary fiber is known to be beneficial to gut health. However, it has a wide range of effects on the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiome.

27 May 2022

Mother's unhealthy vaginal microbiome may contribute to mortality and altered development in babies

A new study in mice from University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers showed that an unhealthy vaginal microbiome in pregnant mothers in combination with an unhealthy diet contributed to increased pup deaths and altered development in the surviving babies.

28 Jan 2022

Metabolite produced by gut microbes found to be involved in regulating commensal bacteria

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) have discovered that acetate, a major metabolite produced by some intestinal bacteria, is involved in regulating other intestinal bacteria.

20 Jul 2021

Components of Neanderthals' gut microbiota are essential for human health

Neanderthals' gut microbiota already included some beneficial micro-organisms that are also found in our own intestine.

5 Feb 2021

Study confirms correlation between gut microbiota and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Still incurable, it directly affects nearly one million people in Europe, and indirectly millions of family members as well as society as a whole.

16 Nov 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism that protects against Salmonella infection

Mice study has revealed a formerly unknown interaction between an immune cell protein and molecules extracted from dietary fiber.

30 Sep 2020

Foodborne titanium dioxide nanoparticles impact gut microbiota in mice

A common food additive, recently banned in France but allowed in the U.S. and many other countries, was found to significantly alter gut microbiota in mice, causing inflammation in the colon and changes in protein expression in the liver, according to research led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist.

26 Jun 2020

High sodium intake affects health of gut microbiome

Particularly in females with untreated hypertension, reducing salt intake to what's considered a healthier level appears to be good for both their gut microbiome and their blood pressure, scientists report.

10 Jun 2020

Multi-tissue model shows how different tissues account for various inflammatory diseases

Biological engineers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a multi-tissue model that allows them to analyze the associations between the immune system and different organs, on a dedicated microfluidic platform embedded with human cells.

From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 19 Mar 2020