Butyrate-producing Human Gut Symbiont, , and Its Role in Health and Disease

Overview

Journal Gut Microbes

Specialties Gastroenterology
Microbiology

Date 2021 Apr 20

PMID 33874858

Citations 138

Authors

Magdalena K Stoeva

Jeewon Garcia-So

Nicholas Justice

Julia Myers

Surabhi Tyagi

Madeleine Nemchek

Paul J McMurdie

Orville Kolterman

John Eid

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

is a butyrate-producing human gut symbiont that has been safely used as a probiotic for decades. strains have been investigated for potential protective or ameliorative effects in a wide range of human diseases, including gut-acquired infection, intestinal injury, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, neurodegenerative disease, metabolic disease, and colorectal cancer. In this review we summarize the studies on supplementation with special attention to proposed mechanisms for the associated health benefits and the supporting experimental evidence. These mechanisms center on molecular signals (especially butyrate) as well as immunological signals in the digestive system that cascade well beyond the gut to the liver, adipose tissue, brain, and more. The safety of probiotic strains appears well-established. We identify areas where additional human randomized controlled trials would provide valuable further data related to the strains' utility as an intervention.

Citing Articles

Immunomodulation of Polysaccharides In Vivo Based on Microbiome and Metabolomics Approaches.

Wu Y, Sun J, Xie W, Xue S, Li X, Guo J Foods. 2025; 14(5).

PMID: 40077577 PMC: 11898905. DOI: 10.3390/foods14050874.

Identification and mechanism analysis of biomarkers related to butyrate metabolism in COVID-19 patients.

Zhou W, Li H, Zhang J, Liu C, Liu D, Chen X Ann Med. 2025; 57(1):2477301.

PMID: 40074706 PMC: 11905318. DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2477301.

Clinical significance of perioperative probiotic intervention on recovery following intestinal surgery.

Wu Y, Zhang X, Wang G, Jiao Y World J Gastrointest Surg. 2025; 17(2):97503.

PMID: 40062001 PMC: 11886005. DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i2.97503.

Akkermansia muciniphila: promises and pitfallsfor next-generation beneficial microorganisms.

Liu Y, Li Z, Lee S, Chen S, Li F Arch Microbiol. 2025; 207(4):76.

PMID: 40032707 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-025-04263-w.

Flavonoid-converting capabilities of Clostridium butyricum.

Braune A Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025; 109(1):53.

PMID: 40014075 PMC: 11868195. DOI: 10.1007/s00253-025-13434-0.

References

Hernandez P, Gronke K, Diefenbach A . A catch-22: Interleukin-22 and cancer. Eur J Immunol. 2017; 48(1):15-31. DOI: 10.1002/eji.201747183. View

Takahashi M, Taguchi H, Yamaguchi H, Osaki T, Komatsu A, Kamiya S . The effect of probiotic treatment with Clostridium butyricum on enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection in mice. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2004; 41(3):219-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.femsim.2004.03.010. View

Isa K, Oka K, Beauchamp N, Sato M, Wada K, Ohtani K . Safety assessment of the Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588® probiotic strain including evaluation of antimicrobial sensitivity and presence of Clostridium toxin genes in vitro and teratogenicity in vivo. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2015; 35(8):818-32. DOI: 10.1177/0960327115607372. View

Feng W, Wu Y, Chen G, Fu S, Li B, Huang B . Sodium Butyrate Attenuates Diarrhea in Weaned Piglets and Promotes Tight Junction Protein Expression in Colon in a GPR109A-Dependent Manner. Cell Physiol Biochem. 2018; 47(4):1617-1629. DOI: 10.1159/000490981. View

Gao Q, Qi L, Wu T, Wang J . Clostridium butyricum activates TLR2-mediated MyD88-independent signaling pathway in HT-29 cells. Mol Cell Biochem. 2011; 361(1-2):31-7. DOI: 10.1007/s11010-011-1084-y. View

Seki H, Shiohara M, Matsumura T, Miyagawa N, Tanaka M, Komiyama A . Prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children by Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI. Pediatr Int. 2003; 45(1):86-90. DOI: 10.1046/j.1442-200x.2003.01671.x. View

Sun J, Wang F, Ling Z, Yu X, Chen W, Li H . Clostridium butyricum attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in diabetic mice via modulation of gut microbiota. Brain Res. 2016; 1642:180-188. DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.03.042. View

Baruch E, Youngster I, Ben-Betzalel G, Ortenberg R, Lahat A, Katz L . Fecal microbiota transplant promotes response in immunotherapy-refractory melanoma patients. Science. 2020; 371(6529):602-609. DOI: 10.1126/science.abb5920. View

Takahashi M, Taguchi H, Yamaguchi H, Osaki T, Sakazaki R, Kamiya S . [Antagonistic interaction between Clostridium butyricum and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7]. Kansenshogaku Zasshi. 1999; 73(1):7-14. DOI: 10.11150/kansenshogakuzasshi1970.73.7. View

10.

Ivanov I, de Llanos Frutos R, Manel N, Yoshinaga K, Rifkin D, Sartor R . Specific microbiota direct the differentiation of IL-17-producing T-helper cells in the mucosa of the small intestine. Cell Host Microbe. 2008; 4(4):337-49. PMC: 2597589. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2008.09.009. View

11.

Fasano A, Shea-Donohue T . Mechanisms of disease: the role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases. Nat Clin Pract Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2005; 2(9):416-22. DOI: 10.1038/ncpgasthep0259. View

12.

Miyaoka T, Kanayama M, Wake R, Hashioka S, Hayashida M, Nagahama M . Clostridium butyricum MIYAIRI 588 as Adjunctive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder: A Prospective Open-Label Trial. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2018; 41(5):151-155. DOI: 10.1097/WNF.0000000000000299. View

13.

Liu J, Sun J, Wang F, Yu X, Ling Z, Li H . Neuroprotective Effects of Clostridium butyricum against Vascular Dementia in Mice via Metabolic Butyrate. Biomed Res Int. 2015; 2015:412946. PMC: 4615854. DOI: 10.1155/2015/412946. View

14.

Aune D, Chan D, Lau R, Vieira R, Greenwood D, Kampman E . Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ. 2011; 343:d6617. PMC: 3213242. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d6617. View

15.

de Goffau M, Luopajarvi K, Knip M, Ilonen J, Ruohtula T, Harkonen T . Fecal microbiota composition differs between children with β-cell autoimmunity and those without. Diabetes. 2013; 62(4):1238-44. PMC: 3609581. DOI: 10.2337/db12-0526. View

16.

Hunyady B, Mezey E, Palkovits M . Gastrointestinal immunology: cell types in the lamina propria--a morphological review. Acta Physiol Hung. 2001; 87(4):305-28. View

17.

Zhang H, Ding T, Zhao J, Yang X, Zhang H, Zhang J . Therapeutic effects of Clostridium butyricum on experimental colitis induced by oxazolone in rats. World J Gastroenterol. 2009; 15(15):1821-8. PMC: 2670408. DOI: 10.3748/wjg.15.1821. View

18.

Tanoue T, Morita S, Plichta D, Skelly A, Suda W, Sugiura Y . A defined commensal consortium elicits CD8 T cells and anti-cancer immunity. Nature. 2019; 565(7741):600-605. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-0878-z. View

19.

Xiao Y, Dai X, Li K, Gui G, Liu J, Yang H . Clostridium butyricum partially regulates the development of colitis-associated cancer through miR-200c. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2017; 63(4):59-66. DOI: 10.14715/cmb/2017.63.4.10. View

20.

Wang J, Chang C, Lin J, Wu L, Chuang L, Lai M . Infection, antibiotic therapy and risk of colorectal cancer: a nationwide nested case-control study in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int J Cancer. 2014; 135(4):956-67. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28738. View