Japanese researchers studied how short-chain fatty acids modulate the immune response, paving the way for potential allergy treatments.
- Short-chain fatty acids, which are produced by the gut microbiota during fermentation of dietary fiber, reduce passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in mice.
- However, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs suppress the anti-allergic effects of these compounds.
- According to the authors, adopting a good diet, more specifically the consumption of dietary fiber, could help treat allergies and “save lives”.
When we ingest fiber, which is mainly found in plant-based foods, gut bacteria break it down into small molecules, called “short-chain fatty acids.” In recent years, research has revealed that these compounds modulate the development and function of cells related to immunity. “However, the molecular mechanisms by which short-chain fatty acids regulate mast cells (i.e. white blood cells that play a central role in seasonal rhinitis and food allergies) are still unclear,” said scientists from Tokyo University of Science (Japan).
Short-chain fatty acids suppressed passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in mice
This is why they decided to carry out a study published in the journal The Journal Of Immunology. As part of their work, the team examined the function and gene expression of mouse mast cells in the presence of saturated fatty acids in vitro and in vivo. She found that by feeding mice butyric acid and valeric acid, two representative short-chain fatty acids, the rodents significantly suppressed passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, namely a type of induced allergic reaction. artificially in the laboratory. Using mast cell cultures, the authors then showed that treating these white blood cells with various short-chain fatty acids suppressed immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated activation, a crucial pathway in allergic reactions. After doing even further analysis, the researchers discovered that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs suppressed the anti-allergic effects of short-chain fatty acids.
Allergies: the importance of a good diet
“Mast cell activation is a common cause of various allergic diseases, not limited to anaphylaxis. Additionally, I believe the increase in allergies is linked to changes in diet that have occurred over the past decades. Our results show that dietary fiber is an effective way to treat it. It could not only save lives by preventing this dangerous disease, but also help ease the burden on health systems.” said Chiharu Nishiyama, author of the study, in a statement.
