The effect of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs)

We investigated the influence of SCFAs on human, monocyte derived DCs that represent a reliable in vitro model to study circulating DCs, one of the key regulators of our immune system. We studied the individual effect exerted by SCFA, the main metabolic end-products of fermentation by anaerobic bacteria in the gut, on the gene expression of immature and mature DC, exploring the potential of circulating bacterial metabolites to directly influence immune system cells. We found that SCFAs have little effect on the transcriptome of immature DC, whereas the transcriptome of mature DC was highly perturbed especially by butyrate and propionate. Our findings show an overall down-regulation of LPS-induced inflammatory responses and provide new insights into host-microbiome interactions.

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Nastasi C, Candela M, Bonefeld CM, Geisler C, Hansen M, Krejsgaard T, Biagi E, Andersen MH, Brigidi P, Ødum N, Litman T, Woetmann A