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Butyrate regulates the expression of c-Src and focal adhesion kinase and inhibits cell invasion of human colon cancer cells.

Epidemiological studies indicate that dietary fiber-derived fermentation products such as butyrate can prevent colon cancer development. To further dissect the role of butyrate in anticarcinogenesis, its effect on cellular growth and invasion as well as the expression of c-Src and FAK, two mutually interactive nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, in three different human colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2, SW480, and SW620) were investigated. In addition to growth inhibition, butyrate treatment results in a significant downregulation of c-Src and FAK in human colon cancer cells, which can be attributable to their reduced transcripts and implicates the participation of a butyrate-sensitive pathway in modulating their expression. Concurrent to butyrate-reduced c-Src and FAK expression is the decrease of FAK Tyr-decrease 397 phosphorylation. Besides, butyrate also abolished the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9. And these butyrate-mediated effects severely impaired invasion of SW620 cells through Matrigel in vitro. Interestingly, in situ parallel enhancement of c-Src and FAK was also observed in human colorectal tumor specimens. These results imply that by virtue of suppression of c-Src and FAK along with other butyrate targets in colonocytes, butyrate could effectively inhibit tumor growth and invasion.

Acetylation↗

Sodium butyrate enhances complement-mediated cell injury via down-regulation of decay-accelerating factor expression in colonic cancer cells.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF) expressed on the surface of colonic cancer cells presents a barrier to complement-mediated clearance by contributing to the ineffectiveness of the humoral immune response. In this study, to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the anti-tumor effects of butyrate, we evaluated how butyrate modulates DAF expression in colonic cancer cells. Three colonic cancer cell lines (HT-29, Caco-2, and T84 cells) were studied. DAF protein expression was assessed by western blot, and DAF mRNA expression was evaluated by northern blot. Complement C3 deposition on the surface of colonic cancer cells was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The promoter activity of the DAF gene was assessed by a reporter gene-luciferase assay. Butyrate reduced the basal and interleukin-4 (IL-4)- and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced expression of DAF protein and mRNA in HT-29 cells. It increased the susceptibility to complement attack and enhanced C3 deposition on HT-29 cells. The inhibitory effect of butyrate on DAF mRNA expression was also observed in T84 and Caco-2 cells. Butyrate decreased basal DAF expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The inhibitory effect of butyrate on IL-4-induced DAF expression was closely associated with a blockade of IL-4-induced DAF mRNA stability. TNF-alpha-induced transcriptional activation and the increased stability of the DAF gene were also blocked by butyrate. Similar but weak effects were induced by trichostatin A, a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, suggesting that histone acetylation might participate in butyrate activity. These observations indicate that both a down-regulation of DAF expression and the induction of susceptibility to complement attack contribute to the anti-tumor effects of butyrate in colonic cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Effects of acetate and butyrate during glycerol fermentation by Clostridium butyricum.

The effects of acetate and butyrate during glycerol fermentation to 1,3-propanediol at pH 7.0 by Clostridium butyricum CNCM 1211 were studied. At pH 7.0, the calculated quantities of undissociated acetic and butyric acids were insufficient to inhibit bacterial growth. The initial addition of acetate or butyrate at concentrations of 2.5 to 15 gL(-1) had distinct effects on the metabolism and growth of Clostridium butyricum. Acetate increased the biomass and butyrate production, reducing the lag time and 1,3-propanediol production. In contrast, the addition of butyrate induced an increase in 1,3-propanediol production (yield: 0.75 mol/mol glycerol, versus 0.68 mol/mol in the butyrate-free culture), and reduced the biomass and butyrate production. It was calculated that reduction of butyrate production could provide sufficient NADH to increase 1,3-propanediol production. The effects of acetate and butyrate highlight the metabolic flexibility of Cl. butyricum CNCM 1211 during glycerol fermentation.

Acetates↗

Influence of isoform and DNP on butyrate transport across the sheep ruminal epithelium.

Short-chain fatty acids are absorbed in considerable amounts from the rumen. During transit through the epithelial layer, they are intensively metabolised. Interaction between intraepithelial metabolism and absorption, however, is hardly understood. The present study therefore compared the transepithelial transport of the easily metabolised n-butyrate with that of the more metabolism-resistant iso-butyrate both under in vivo conditions (isolated and washed reticulorumen) and in vitro conditions (Ussing chamber). Under in vivo conditions, net absorption of n-butyrate was significantly higher than that of iso-butyrate. The in vitro experiments showed that the higher net flux of n-butyrate was solely due to a higher mucosal-to-serosal flux, whereas the serosal-to-mucosal flux of butyrate was independent from the isoform. Blocking intraepithelial ATP delivery by 2,4-dinitrophenol abolished the net flux of n-butyrate. The study indicates that metabolism and/ or ATP availability stimulates n-butyrate net absorption. By this, the metabolic activity of the epithelium may have a regulatory influence on absorption of n-butyrate.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Effect of structural analogues of propionate and butyrate on colon cancer cell growth.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of natural short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate, valerate, acetate) and structural analogues of butyrate and propionate on cell growth and apoptosis in three human colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines (HT-29, Colo-320, and SW-948). We have previously shown that mercapto- and bromo-analogues of butyrate and propionate compete with natural short-chain fatty acids for uptake in the colonocyte. Among naturally occurring short-chain fatty acids, butyrate was the most potent inhibitor of proliferation in all three cell lines. Propionate exhibited a weaker antiproliferative effect, while other short-chain fatty acids (valerate, acetate) were ineffective. Bromo-analogues of butyrate and propionate were more potent proapoptotic agents than butyrate. In contrast to butyrate, the analogues induced strand breaks on isolated supercoiled DNA, the effect being completely reversed by a DNA-protecting agent, spermine. We conclude that bromo-analogues of butyrate and propionate are more potent proapoptotic agents than butyrate in colon cancer cells in culture. Their effect may be a result of direct DNA damage.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Inhibition of histone deacetylation by butyrate induces morphological changes in Y79 retinoblastoma cells.

PURPOSE: Exposure of Y79 cells, a retinoblastoma cell line, to sodium butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, induces neuronlike morphological changes and apoptosis. To determine whether the effect of butyrate results from an inhibition of histone deacetylation, we examined the morphological changes, cell viability, and histone acetylation levels of Y79 cells induced by butyrate and trichostatin A (TSA), a specific inhibitor of histone deacetylases. METHODS: Y79 cells cultured in a synthetic medium were exposed to butyrate or TSA, and the morphological changes and cell viability were followed. Actinomycin D was used to determine whether the morphological changes were transcription-dependent. The level of acetylated histone was determined by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Butyrate and TSA induced morphological changes and apoptosis of Y79 retinoblastoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. The morphological changes were sustained and reversible with butyrate but were transient with TSA. Actinomycin D completely inhibited the morphological changes induced by butyrate and TSA. The elevation of histone H3 levels was sustained and reversible in butyrate but transient in TSA. The change in histone H3 acetylation levels preceded the morphological changes and apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The induction of morphological changes by butyrate results from an inhibition of histone deacetylation and transcription.

Acetylation↗

Butyrate, a gut-derived environmental signal, regulates tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression via a novel promoter element.

Butyrate is a diet-derived, gut fermentation product with an array of effects on cultured mammalian cells including inhibition of proliferation, induction of differentiation and regulation of gene expression. We showed that physiological concentrations of butyrate can regulate transcription of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and preproenkephalin (ppEnk) gene in PC12 cells. In promoter deletion studies, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and by site-directed mutagenesis, we identified a novel butyrate response element (BRE) in the 5' upstream region of the rat TH gene, homologous to the previously mapped motif in the ppEnk promoter. No such enhancers were found in DBH or PNMT promoters, and both catecholamine system-related gene promoters were unaffected by butyrate. The BRE motif interacts with nuclear proteins in a sequence-specific manner, shows binding potentiation in butyrate-differentiated PC12 cells and bound protein(s) are competed away with TH-CRE oligonucleotides or by the addition of CREB-specific antibodies, suggesting involvement of CREB or CREB-related transcription factors. Moreover, single point mutation in the distal BRE abolished binding of transcription factors and reduced the response to butyrate in transient transfection studies. The canonical CRE motif of the TH promoter was also found necessary for transcriptional activation of the TH gene by butyrate. Our data identified a novel functional element in the promoter of both the TH and ppEnk genes mediating transcriptional responses to butyrate. Dietary butyrate may have an extended role in the control of catecholamine and endogenous opioid production at the level of TH and ppEnk gene transcription neuronal plasticity, cardiovascular functions, stress adaptation and behavior.

Adrenal Medulla↗

Inhibitory effects of butyrate on biological hydrogen production with mixed anaerobic cultures.

In this study batch experiments were conducted to investigate the inhibitory effects of butyrate addition on hydrogen production from glucose by using anaerobic mixed cultures. Experimental results showed that addition of butyrate at 4.18 and 6.27 g/l only slightly inhibited hydrogen production, and addition of butyrate at 8.36-12.54 g/l imposed a moderate inhibitory effect on hydrogen production. At addition of 25.08 g/l, butyrate had a strong inhibitory influence on substrate degradation and hydrogen production. The distribution of the volatile fatty acids produced from the acidogeneisis of glucose was significantly influenced by the addition of butyrate. The inhibition of butyrate addition on hydrogen production was described well by a non-competitive and non-linear inhibition model, with the maximum hydrogen production rate of 59.3 ml/g-SS/h, critical added butyrate concentration of 25.08 g/l, and inhibition degree of 0.323, respectively. The C(I,50) values (the butyrate concentration at which bioactivity is reduced by 50%) for hydrogen production rate and yield were estimated as 19.39 and 20.78 g/l of added butyrate, respectively.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

Sodium butyrate up-regulates cathelicidin gene expression via activator protein-1 and histone acetylation at the promoter region in a human lung epithelial cell line, EBC-1.

The antimicrobial protein cathelicidin is considered to play an important role in the defense mechanisms against bacterial infection. Recent studies show that sodium butyrate induces cathelicidin gene expression in human colonic, gastric and hepatic cells. However, little is known about the precise regulatory mechanisms underlying sodium butyrate-induced cathelicidin gene expression. In this study, we examined the regulatory mechanisms involved in sodium butyrate-induced cathelicidin gene expression using a human lung epithelial cell line, EBC-1. Our results indicate that sodium butyrate induces both cathelicidin mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, deletion or mutation of a putative activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding site in the cathelicidin gene promoter abrogated the response to sodium butyrate stimulation. Three different mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitors suppressed sodium butyrate-induced transactivation of the cathelicidin promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) showed that nuclear extracts prepared from sodium butyrate-stimulated EBC-1 cells generated specific binding to probe including a putative AP-1 binding site in the cathelicidin gene promoter. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that sodium butyrate augmented histone acetylation of the cathelicidin promoter in EBC-1 cells. Therefore, these results indicate that AP-1 and histone acetylation of the cathelicidin promoter play a critical role in the regulation of inducible cathelicidin gene expression in EBC-1 cells stimulated with sodium butyrate.

Acetylation↗

Suppressing actions of butyrate on growth hormone (GH) secretion induced by GH-releasing hormone in rat anterior pituitary cells.

We assessed the inhibitory effects of butyrate on the growth hormone (GH) secretion in order to investigate the cellular mechanisms in rat somatotrophs. Isolated anterior pituitary cells were cultured in DMEM for several hours, either in the presence (1, 3, or 10mM) or absence of butyrate, and then stimulated with 10(-7)M GHRH for 30 min, in the presence of butyrate at the concentrations used for the previous culture. The increase in GHRH-induced GH release was significantly reduced in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner in the cells previously cultured with butyrate. GH content (the sum of GH released into the medium induced by GHRH stimulation and the GH remaining in the cells after stimulation) was reduced by the culture of cells in the presence of butyrate, which was also inversely dependent on the concentrations used for the culture. Simultaneous addition of an L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker, nifedipine (10 pM), to the medium during 10(-9)M GHRH stimulation significantly reduced the stimulated GH release, which was further significantly decreased by a simultaneous addition of 10 mM butyrate. Butyrate blunted the GHRH (10(-9)M)-induced increase in cellular cyclic AMP and calcium ion concentrations, the activity of protein kinases (A and C), and GHmRNA expression. The expression of mRNA for GPR 41 and 43, known as receptors for short-chain fatty acids, was confirmed in the anterior pituitary cells. These findings suggest that butyrate inhibits GHRH-induced GH release as well as GH production, and the cellular inhibitory actions of butyrate occur in diverse cellular signaling pathways of rat somatotrophs.

Animals↗

Transcriptional regulation by butyrate of mouse galectin-1 gene in embryonal carcinoma cells.

Endogenous galactoside-binding lectins (galectins) have been implicated in cell adhesion, growth, differentiation, neoplastic transformation, and metastasis. Galectin-1 (gal-1), one member of this family, has been best characterized. We isolated a DNA clone containing the gal-1 gene from mouse genomic libraries, and the sequence of the 5' upstream region up to -2430 bp was determined. Our previous study showed that sodium butyrate (butyrate) induced expression of gal-1 at both mRNA and protein levels in the murine embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line PCC4.aza1R and the induction of gal-1 by butyrate in PCC4.aza1R cells is at least partially regulated at transcriptional level. To locate the region which is responsible for the induction of gal-1 by butyrate, transient transfection of PCC4.aza1R cells with a series of gal-1 promoter/CAT chimeric gene, which have different deletions of the 5' region of the gal-1 promoter, showed that this 2430 bp sequence is a butyrate-inducible promoter, and butyrate-inducible ability remained when only a 62 bp sequence ahead of the transcription site (+1) existed. The sequence from -62 to -41 which contains an Sp1 site at -57 was important for the induction of gal-1 expression by butyrate. Gel shift assay indicated that transcription factor SP1 actually bound to that Sp1 site. The changes of two nucleotides within that Sp1 site, from GG to TT, abolished the nuclear proteins binding to that Sp1 site as well as the response to butyrate. These results suggest that the 5' proximal Sp1 site at -57 is crucial for the butyrate-induced expression of the gal-1, and the direct binding of SP1 to this Sp1 site may be involved in this induction.

Animals↗

Stable prodrugs of n-butyric acid: suppression of T cell alloresponses in vitro and prolongation of heart allograft survival in a fully allogeneic rat strain combination.

n-Butyric acid has previously been shown in vitro to suppress T cell alloresponses and beyond that to induce a state of alloantigen-specific hyporesponsiveness suggesting a potential relevance for suppressing alloresponses also in vivo. The clinical use of butyrate salt derivatives, however, is limited by an extremely short half-life due to rapid metabolism. This prompted us to investigate the effect of butyric acid derivatives with prolonged residence time in vivo on T cell alloresponses in vitro and further to explore the immunosuppressive capacity of esterified n-butyric acid in vivo. First, the effect of three butyric acid esters, i.e. glucose pentabutyrate, diacetone glucose butyrate and tributyrin on T cell proliferation in a human mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) was evaluated. All three derivatives were found to inhibit T cell alloresponses in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on the ED50 values, glucose pentabutyrate was found to be most effective in inhibiting T cell alloreactivity in vitro (11 microM), followed by diacetone glucose butyrate (122 microM), tributyrin (146 microM) and sodium butyrate (539 microM). Because of its favourable in vitro properties, glucose pentabutyrate was chosen for in vivo experiments. To test the effect of this compound on allograft survival in vivo, in the second part of this study, heterotopic heart transplants were performed in a high responder fully allogeneic rat strain combination (Brown Norway to Lewis strain rats). We found that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of glucose pentabutyrate at 500 mg/kg/day (day 0 and daily up to 12 days posttransplant) induced a significant prolongation of allograft survival as compared to animals treated with vehicle (glycerol formal, i.p.) alone (14.1+/-6.3 versus 9.6+/-3.2 days, p = 0.036), whereby at lower dosage (100 mg/kg/day) no such effect was observed (10.2+/-2.1 days, p = 0.21). Our findings suggest that stable prodrugs of n-butyric acid might have potential clinical relevance for inhibiting alloresponses in vivo.

Animals↗

Adaptation of Clostridium tyrobutyricum for enhanced tolerance to butyric acid in a fibrous-bed bioreactor.

By immobilization in a fibrous-bed bioreactor (FBB), we succeeded in adapting and selecting an acid-tolerant strain of Clostridium tyrobutyricum that can produce high concentrations of butyrate from glucose and xylose. This mutant grew well under high butyrate concentrations (>30 g/L) and had better fermentative ability as compared to the wild-type strain used to seed the bioreactor. Kinetic analysis of butyrate inhibition on cell growth, acid-forming enzymes, and ATPase activity showed that the adapted cells from the FBB are physiologically different from the original wild type. Compared to the wild type, the adapted culture's maximum specific growth rate increased by 2.3-fold and its growth tolerance to butyrate inhibition increased by 29-fold. The key enzymes in the butyrate-forming pathway, phosphotransbutyrylase (PTB) and butyrate kinase (BK), were also more active in the mutant, with 175% higher PTB and 146% higher BK activities. Also, the mutant's ATPase was less sensitive to inhibition by butyric acid, as indicated by a 4-fold increase in the inhibition rate constant, and was more resistant to the enzyme inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD). The lower ATPase sensitivity to butyrate inhibition might have contributed to the increased growth tolerance to butyrate inhibition, which also might be attributed to the higher percentage of saturated fatty acids in the membrane phospholipids (74% in the mutant vs 69% in the wild type). This study shows that cell immobilization in the FBB provides an effective means for in-process adaptation and selection of mutant with higher tolerance to inhibitory fermentation product.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Construction and characterization of ack deleted mutant of Clostridium tyrobutyricum for enhanced butyric acid and hydrogen production.

Clostridium tyrobutyricum produces butyrate, acetate, H(2), and CO(2) as its main fermentation products from glucose and xylose. To improve butyric acid and hydrogen production, integrational mutagenesis was used to create a metabolically engineered mutant with inactivated ack gene, encoding acetate kinase (AK) associated with the acetate formation pathway. A non-replicative plasmid containing the acetate kinase gene (ack) fragment was constructed and introduced into C. tyrobutyricum by electroporation. Integration of the plasmid into the homologous region on the chromosome should inactivate the target ack gene and produce ack-deleted mutant, PAK-Em. Enzyme activity assays showed that the AK activity in PAK-Em decreased by approximately 50%; meanwhile, phosphotransacetylase (PTA) and hydrogenase activities each increased by approximately 40%. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results showed that the expression of protein with approximately 32 kDa molecular mass was reduced significantly in the mutant. Compared to the wild type, the mutant grew more slowly at pH 6.0 and 37 degrees C, with a lower specific growth rate of 0.14 h(-1) (vs 0.21 h(-1) for the wild type), likely due to the partially impaired PTA-AK pathway. However, the mutant produced 23.5% more butyrate (0.42 vs 0.34 g/g glucose) at a higher final concentration of 41.7 g/L (vs 19.98 g/L) as a result of its higher butyrate tolerance as indicated in the growth kinetics study using various intial concentrations of butyrate in the media. The mutant also produced 50% more hydrogen (0.024 g/g) from glucose than the wild type. Immobilized-cell fermentation of PAK-Em in a fibrous-bed bioreactor (FBB) further increased the final butyric acid concentration (50.1 g/L) and the butyrate yield (0.45 g/g glucose). Furthermore, in the FBB fermentation at pH 5.0 with xylose as the substrate, only butyric acid was produced by the mutant, whereas the wild type produced large amounts of acetate (0.43 g/g xylose) and lactate (0.61 g/g xylose) and little butyrate (0.05 g/g xylose), indicating a dramatic metabolic pathway shift caused by the ack deletion in the mutant.

Acetate Kinase↗

Butyrate augments interferon-alpha-induced S phase accumulation and persistent tyrosine phosphorylation of cdc2 in K562 cells.

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is a clinically useful cytokine for treatment of a variety of cancers, including chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML). Most CML cells are sensitive to IFN-alpha; however, its biological effects on leukaemic cells are incompletely characterized. Here, we provide evidence that IFN-alpha induces a significant increase in the S phase population in human CML leukaemic cell line, K562, and that the S phase accumulation was augmented by sodium butyrate. In contrast, neither sodium butyrate alone, nor sodium butyrate plus IFN-gamma, affected the cell cycle in K562 cells. These data suggest that the effect of sodium butyrate depended upon IFN-alpha-mediated signalling. The ability of leukaemic cells to exhibit the S phase accumulation after stimulation by IFN-alpha plus sodium butyrate correlated well with persistent tyrosine phosphorylation of cdc2, whereas treatment with IFN-gamma plus sodium butyrate did not affect its phosphorylation levels. Considering that dephosphorylation of cdc2 leads to entry to the M phase, the persistent tyrosine phosphorylation of cdc2 may be associated with the S phase accumulation induced by IFN-alpha and sodium butyrate. In addition, another human CML leukaemic cell line, MEG-01, also showed the S phase accumulation after stimulation with IFN-alpha plus sodium butyrate. Taken together, our studies reveal a novel effect of sodium butyrate on the S phase accumulation and suggest its clinical application for a combination therapy with IFN-alpha, leading to a great improvement of clinical effects of IFN-alpha against CML cells.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Butyrate stimulates the secretion of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and apo B100 by the human hepatoma cell line Hep G2. Induction of apo A-I mRNA with no change of apo B100 mRNA.

Addition of sodium butyrate to the culture medium of the human hepatoma cell line Hep G2 resulted in a time- and dose-dependent increase in the secretion of apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and apolipoprotein B100 (apo B100). After a 24 h preincubation period, a 2.4- and 2.2-fold increase in the secretion of apo A-I and apo B100 respectively was obtained during the next 24 h in the presence of 2 mM-sodium butyrate. Secretion of albumin, fibrinogen or [35S]methionine-labelled newly synthesized proteins was unaffected or only marginally affected, indicating that the effect of butyrate on apo A-I and apo B100 is not part of a general effect on protein synthesis and secretion. In structure-function studies, butyrate was found to be the most potent inducer among various straight-chain carboxylic acids. Hydroxylated, aminated and otherwise modified butyrate derivatives were inactive. The enhanced accumulation of apo A-I and apo B100 in the culture medium could not be explained by changes in the uptake and degradation of the synthesized apolipoproteins or by alterations in the secretion of possible intracellular pools. In addition, [35S]methionine incorporation studies indicated that synthesis and/or secretion of newly synthesized apo A-I and apo B100 is enhanced in the presence of butyrate. The apo A-I mRNA level was increased 2.3-fold upon treatment with 2 mM-butyrate for 48 h, suggesting regulation at (post-)transcriptional level. In contrast, no change in the level of apo B100 mRNA in butyrate-treated cells was observed, indicating regulation at translational or co- or post-translational level. We propose that the effect of butyrate on the secretion of apo A-I and apo B100 by Hep G2 results from two different regulatory mechanisms.

Albumins↗

Butyrate affects differentiation, maturation and function of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and macrophages.

We studied the in vitro effects of butyric acid on differentiation, maturation and function of dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages (M(Phi)) generated from human monocytes. A non-toxic dose of butyrate was shown to alter the phenotypic differentiation process of DC as assessed by a persistence of CD14, and a decreased CD54, CD86 and HLA class II expression. The more immature differentiation stage of treated cells was confirmed further by their increased phagocytic capability, their altered capacity to produce IL-10 and IL-12, and their weak allostimulatory abilities. Butyrate also altered DC terminal maturation, regardless of the maturation inducer, as demonstrated by a strong down-regulation of CD83, a decreased expression of CD40, CD86 and HLA class II. Similarly, butyrate altered M(Phi) differentiation, down-regulating the expression of the restricted membrane antigens and reducing the phagocytic capacity of treated cells. To investigate further the mechanism by which butyrate hampers the monocyte dual differentiation pathway, we studied the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 alone or in combination with butyrate on the phenotypic features of DC. Unlike 1,25(OH)2D3, butyrate inhibited DC -differentiation without redirecting it towards M(Phi). Combined treatment gave rise to a new cell subset (CD14(high), CD86 and HLA-DR(low)) phenotypically distinct from monocytes. These results reveal an alternative mechanism of inhibition of DC and M(Phi) differentiation. Altogether, our data demonstrate a novel immune suppression property of butyrate that may modulate both inflammatory and immune responses and support further the interest for butyrate and its derivatives as new immunotherapeutic agents.

Antigen Presentation↗

Butyrate modulates intestinal epithelial cell-mediated neutrophil migration.

Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid released by colonic bacteria and administered therapeutically in inflammatory bowel diseases, exerts immunomodulatory properties. The aim of the study was to determine the functional consequences of butyrate exposure on the proinflammatory responsiveness of human intestinal epithelial cells (IEC). IL-8 promoter activity in IEC pretreated with butyrate then exposed to proinflammatory stimuli was assayed by transfection of luciferase constructs. IL-8 secretion was determined by ELISA and neutrophil migration by flow cytometry. Receptor mRNA was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Butyrate modulated proinflammatory IL-8 secretion differentially in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells on the transcriptional level. Pointing to the potentially underlying mechanism of increased IL-1 beta-stimulated IL-8 secretion in HT-29 cells, butyrate up-regulated IL-1RI mRNA but not IL-1RII. Butyrate pretreatment of IEC lines stimulated by IL-1 beta modulated neutrophil migration significantly: reduction towards Caco-2 and enhancement towards HT-29/p cells. Pharmacological inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases or treatment with mesalamine or sulphasalazine diminished IL-1 beta-stimulated IL-8 secretion by butyrate-exposed HT-29 cells substantially. Immunomodulatory effects of butyrate on IEC are functionally relevant for neutrophil migration. Pharmacological inhibition of enhanced IL-1 beta-mediated IL-8 secretion in a subpopulation of IEC may improve the clinical efficacy of butyrate.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗