“Immune regulation by microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids: effects on Natural Killer cells”
Ibercaja-Unizar. 2022
Intestinal microbiota plays a fundamental role in maintaining the homeostasis of the organism and recent research has shown that these bacterial metabolites could act on the immune system.
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the end products of all bacterial digestion of carbohydrates; Mainly three SCFAs are produced: acetate, propionate and butyrate. These SCFAs are found in small proportions, although their production and blood concentration can be affected by diet. Some studies have described various immunomodulatory functions of SCFAs, such as stimulating the production of cytokines by macrophages, facilitating the recruitment of neutrophils or favoring the activation and differentiation of T lymphocytes. All this suggests that the microbiota, through the production of SCFAs, influences how the immune system defends us against different aggressions. However, the effects of SCFAs on Natural Killer (NK) cells remain unexplored.
NK or natural killer cells are a type of lymphocyte that belongs to the innate immune system. Its role is focused on detecting and eliminating infected cells or tumor cells. In fact, new approaches to cancer immunotherapy are committed to reinforcing the action of NK cells with different strategies. Therefore, knowing the relationship between the microbiota and NK cells, as well as their possible regulation through bacterial metabolites, could be key to the development of new therapies based on these NK cells.