Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 May;11(3):785-795.
doi: 10.1038/mi.2017.75. Epub 2017 Oct 25.

Microbiome-driven allergic lung inflammation is ameliorated by short-chain fatty acids

A Cait  1 , M R Hughes  2 , F Antignano  2 , J Cait  2 , P A Dimitriu  1 , K R Maas  1 , L A Reynolds  3 , L Hacker  2 , J Mohr  2 , B B Finlay  1   3   4 , C Zaph  5   6 , K M McNagny  2   7 , W W Mohn  1
Affiliations
Free article

Microbiome-driven allergic lung inflammation is ameliorated by short-chain fatty acids

A Cait et al. Mucosal Immunol. 2018 May.
Free article

Abstract

The mammalian gastrointestinal tract harbors a microbial community with metabolic activity critical for host health, including metabolites that can modulate effector functions of immune cells. Mice treated with vancomycin have an altered microbiome and metabolite profile, exhibit exacerbated T helper type 2 cell (Th2) responses, and are more susceptible to allergic lung inflammation. Here we show that dietary supplementation with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) ameliorates this enhanced asthma susceptibility by modulating the activity of T cells and dendritic cells (DCs). Dysbiotic mice treated with SCFAs have fewer interleukin-4 (IL4)-producing CD4+ T cells and decreased levels of circulating immunoglobulin E (IgE). In addition, DCs exposed to SCFAs activate T cells less robustly, are less motile in response to CCL19 in vitro, and exhibit a dampened ability to transport inhaled allergens to lung draining nodes. Our data thus demonstrate that gut dysbiosis can exacerbate allergic lung inflammation through both T cell- and DC-dependent mechanisms that are inhibited by SCFAs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Allergy. 2015 Nov;70(11):1440-9 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 2013 Dec 19;504(7480):451-5 - PubMed
    1. Z Gastroenterol. 2001 Nov;39(11):911-8 - PubMed
    1. Immunity. 2013 Feb 21;38(2):322-35 - PubMed
    1. Nature. 2009 Oct 29;461(7268):1282-6 - PubMed

MeSH terms