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Short chain fatty acids improve inflammation of the eye

Immune-mediated inflammation of the uvea is one of the major causes of uveitis. Recent studies have linked intestinal microbiomes and their metabolites to the pathogenesis of various immune-mediated diseases. For example, Short Chain Fatty acid (SCFAs), metabolites produced by Firmicutes bacteria during dietary fibre fermentation are known to play a protective role in various immune-mediated diseases through expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) or by maintaining the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier. In this article, the researchers used inducible experimental autoimmune uveitis (EUA), a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease model induced by immunization with uveitogenic retinal antigens or by a passively transferring T cells against retinal antigens to investigate the effect of exogenously administered SCFAs (especially sodium propionate) on uveitis. They showed that administration of propionate reduces the severity of EUA in mice by increasing the number of Tregs and reducing the number of Th17 and Th1 helper cells in intestine. This was achieved by abrogating the changes in intestinal morphology and gene expression caused by immunization and by suppressing the traffic of effector T-cells to the spleen of EUA mice.