Kaźmierczak-Siedlecka K, Marano L, Merola E, Roviello F, Połom K. Sodium butyrate in both prevention and supportive treatment of colorectal cancer.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022;
12:1023806. [PMID:
36389140 PMCID:
PMC9643746 DOI:
10.3389/fcimb.2022.1023806]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that selected microbiota-derived metabolites play a significant role in both tumor prevention and supportive treatment of cancer. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), i.e., mainly acetate, proprionate, and butyrate, are one of them. Nowadays, it is known that butyrate is a key microbial metabolite. Therefore, in the current review, we focused on butyrate and sodium butyrate (NaB) in the context of colorectal cancer. Notably, butyrate is characterized by a wide range of beneficial properties/activities. Among others, it influences the function of the immune system, maintains intestinal barrier integrity, positively affects the efficiency of anti-cancer treatment, and may reduce the risk of mucositis induced by chemotherapy. Taking into consideration these facts, we analyzed NaB (which is a salt of butyric acid) and its impact on gut microbiota as well as anti-tumor activity by describing molecular mechanisms. Overall, NaB is available as, for instance, food with special medical purposes (depending on the country's regulation), and its administration seems to be a promising option for colorectal cancer patients.
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