Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 47, Issue 2 , Pages 133-134, February 1998

Effects of short-chain fatty acids on human rectosigmoid mucosal colonocyte brush-border enzymes☆

  • M.D. Basson

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress reprint requests to M.D. Basson, MD, PhD, Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, PO Box 208062, New Haven, CT 06520-8062.
    • Department of Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
    • Connecticut Veterans Administration Health Care System, West Haven, CT, USA
    • ,
  • S.A. Sgambati

      Affiliations

    • Department of Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
    • Connecticut Veterans Administration Health Care System, West Haven, CT, USA

Received 21 April 1997; accepted 18 August 1997.

Abstract 

Short-chain fatty acids produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber may provide a tonic stimulus to colonocyte differentiation that contributes to the protective effect of fiber against colorectal malignancy. Since brush-border enzymes are common markers of colonocytic differentiation, we compared the effects of equimolar (10 mmol/L) concentrations of the three most common short-chain fatty acids, acetate, butyrate, and propionate, on the alkaline phosphatase and dipeptidyl dipeptidase specific activity of human colonic mucosal biopsies obtained from normal volunteers. Only butyrate significantly stimulated alkaline phosphatase specific activity (50.4% ± 18.6%, P < .05). Short-chain fatty acid stimulation of dipeptidyl dipeptidase did not achieve statistical significance. Fibers yielding high colonic butyrate levels could have different effects on human colonic mucosal differentiation.

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☆ Supported in part by American Institute for Cancer Research Grant No. 94A55 (M.D.B.).

PII: S0026-0495(98)90208-6

Metabolism - Clinical and Experimental
Volume 47, Issue 2 , Pages 133-134, February 1998

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