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Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19(15):5004-5019. doi:10.7150/ijbs.86717 This issue Cite

Research Paper

High-fat diet promotes colitis-associated tumorigenesis by altering gut microbial butyrate metabolism

Xinyu Shao^1,2#, Luojie Liu^3#, Yuqing Zhou², Kaiqiang Zhong⁴, Jinrong Gu⁴, Tong Hu², Yizhou Yao^4✉, Chunli Zhou^2✉, Weichang Chen^1✉

1. Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
2. Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, Jiangsu, China.
3. Department of Gastroenterology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, Jiangsu, China.
4. Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
# These authors contributed equally to this work.

✉ Corresponding authors: Weichang Chen, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China. weichangchencom; Chunli Zhou, Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou 215008, Jiangsu, China. zhouchunli2000com; Yizhou Yao, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China. yzyaoedu.cn. More

Abstract

Background: Dietary fat intake is associated with an increased risk of colitis associated cancer (CAC). A high-fat diet (HFD) leads to systemic low-grade inflammation. The colon is believed to be the first organ suffering from inflammation caused by the infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages, and promotes CAC progression. We explored the role of HFD in driving CAC by altering gut microbial butyrate metabolism.

Methods: Changes in the gut microbiota caused by HFD were investigated via HFD treatment or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). The underlying mechanisms were further explored by analyzing the role of gut microbiota, microbial butyrate metabolism, and NLRP3 inflammasome in colon tissues in a CAC mouse model.

Results: HFD accelerated CAC progression in mice, and it could be reversed by broad-spectrum antibiotics (ABX). 16S-rRNA sequencing revealed that HFD inhibited the abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut. The level of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially butyrate, in the gut of mice treated with HFD was significantly reduced. In addition, treatment with exogenous butyrate reversed the M1 polarization of proinflammatory macrophages, aggravation of intestinal inflammation, and accelerated tumor growth induced by HFD; the NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway activated by HFD in the colon was also significantly inhibited. In vitro, macrophages were treated with lipopolysaccharide combined with butyrate to detect the M1 polarization level and NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway expression, and the results were consistent with those of the in vivo experiments.

Conclusion: HFD drives colitis-associated tumorigenesis by inducing gut microbial dysbiosis and inhibiting butyrate metabolism to skew macrophage polarization. Exogenous butyrate is a feasible new treatment strategy for CAC, and has good prospect for clinical application.

Keywords: High fat diet, colitis associated cancer, gut microbiota, butyrate metabolism, macrophage polarization

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