ArticleNephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association2024
Propionate and butyrate counteract renal damage and progression to chronic kidney disease.
Article in Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome through the lens of gut‑derived uremic toxins.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Unveiling the mechanism of metabolites derived from gut microbiota in the treatment of acute kidney injury via network pharmacology and bioinformatics.Bioresources and bioprocessing · 2026Article
- Review
- Distinct SCFA profiles drive contrasting impacts of whole versus refined grains on metabolic health and body composition beyond inflammation in older adults: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Nutrition & metabolism · 2026Article
- Butyrate and Butyrate-Producing Bacteria in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Unveiling the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota metabolites for the treatment of renal fibrosis based on network pharmacology study.Bioresources and bioprocessing · 2026Article
- Short-chain fatty acids of intestinal origin attenuate protein-bound uremic toxins in patients with chronic kidney disease by protecting the intestinal barrier: a pooled analysis of multiple studies with individualized intervention strategies.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Nutritional methionine restriction modulates gut microbiota and propionate/GPR41 signaling to mitigate diabetic kidney disease.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- Review
- Protective Effects of Licorice (Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Urobiome composition after renal transplantation: an exploratory study.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Protective role of sodium propionate against glycerol or fractionated doses of gamma rays-induced acute kidney injury via ATF5-induced mitophagy in rats.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Kidney Function Modulates Gut Microbial Metabolism.Toxins · 2026Article
- Thiolated chitosan/alginate/Emodin nanoparticles alleviate chronic kidney disease via gut microbiota regulation and intestinal barrier protection.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Protective effects of fermentable dietary fiber and propionate in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertension and renal damage.American journal of physiology. Renal physiology · 2026Article
- Nutritional Modulation of the Gut-Kidney Axis.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Targeting gut-liver-kidney axis: microbiota-derived metabolites and therapeutic implications.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Microbiota and lipid mediators: from molecular crosstalk to therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes are associated with changes in renal injury markers, gut microbiota composition, and inflammatory signaling in IgA nephropathy.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota as a therapeutic target in sepsis-induced multi-organ dysfunction: a review.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Review
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12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundShort-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), mainly acetate, propionate and butyrate, are produced by gut microbiota through fermentation of complex carbohydrates that cannot be digested by the human host. They affect gut health and can contribute at the distal level to the pathophysiology of several diseases, including renal pathologies.
methodsSCFA levels were measured in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients (n = 54) at different stages of the disease, and associations with renal function and inflammation parameters were examined. The impact of propionate and butyrate in pathways triggered in tubular cells under inflammatory conditions was analysed using genome-wide expression assays. Finally, a pre-clinical mouse model of folic acid-induced transition from acute kidney injury to CKD was used to analyse the preventive and therapeutic potential of these microbial metabolites in the development of CKD.
resultsFaecal levels of propionate and butyrate in CKD patients gradually reduce as the disease progresses, and do so in close association with established clinical parameters for serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Propionate and butyrate jointly downregulated the expression of 103 genes related to inflammatory processes and immune system activation triggered by tumour necrosis factor-α in tubular cells. In vivo, the administration of propionate and butyrate, either before or soon after injury, respectively, prevented and slowed the progression of damage. This was indicated by a decrease in renal injury markers, the expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic markers, and recovery of renal function over the long term.
conclusionsPropionate and butyrate levels are associated with a progressive loss of renal function in CKD patients. Early administration of these SCFAs prevents disease advancement in a pre-clinical model of acute renal damage, demonstrating their therapeutic potential independently of the gut microbiota.
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