Dose-Dependent Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids on 3T3-L1 Adipocyte Adipokine Secretion and Metabolic Function

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2025 Feb 13

PMID 39940429

Authors

Ala Alzubi

Hannah X Glowacki

Jessie L Burns

Kelsey Van

Jamie L A Martin

Jennifer M Monk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced from microbial fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates and protein have been shown to modulate adipocyte adipokine secretion and metabolic function, which has implications for mitigating dysfunction in obese adipose tissue; however, the individual effects of different SCFAs and the optimal concentration required is unknown. The purpose of this study was to dose-dependently determine the effects of individual SCFAs on adipocyte adipokine secretion and metabolic function.

Methods: We recapitulated the obese adipocyte inflammatory conditions using mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes and a physiological concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ± individual SCFAs, namely acetate, propionate, and butyrate, in a dose-dependent manner (0.25 mM, 0.5 mM, and 1 mM) for 24 h.

Results: SCFAs dose-dependently affected inflammatory adipokine secretion, wherein at 1 mM, all three SCFAs reduced the secretion of leptin, IL-6 and IL-1β, but only propionate and butyrate reduced MCP-1/CCL2 and MIP-1α/CCL3 compared to control ( < 0.05). Interestingly, 1 mM acetate increased RANTES/CCL5 secretion versus control, whereas propionate and butyrate decreased RANTES/CCL5 secretion, and only 1 mM propionate reduced MCP-3/CCL7 secretion ( < 0.05). At the lower 0.5 mM concentration, both propionate and butyrate reduced IL-6 and IL-1β secretion compared to control ( < 0.05), and there was no difference in adipokine secretion between groups at the 0.25 mM SCFA concentration ( > 0.05). Intracellular protein expression in the ratio of phosphorylated-to-total STAT3 was reduced by all SCFAs at 1 mM and by propionate and butyrate at 0.5 mM versus control ( < 0.05). The ratio fo phosphorylated-to-total NFκB p65 expression was reduced by propionate and butyrate at 1 mM and by butyrate alone at 0.5 mM compared to control ( < 0.05). Basal (no insulin stimulation) and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake did not differ between control and any 1 mM SCFA treatment conditions ( > 0.05).

Conclusions: Individual SCFAs exert different dose-dependent effects on LPS-stimulated adipocyte function.

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