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Review
. 2022 Mar 9;14(6):1152.
doi: 10.3390/nu14061152.

Biochemical and Metabolical Pathways Associated with Microbiota-Derived Butyrate in Colorectal Cancer and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Implications: A Narrative Review

Adelina Silvana Gheorghe  1 , Șerban Mircea Negru  2 , Mădălina Preda  3 , Raluca Ioana Mihăilă  1 , Isabela Anda Komporaly  1 , Elena Adriana Dumitrescu  1 , Cristian Virgil Lungulescu  4 , Lidia Anca Kajanto  1 , Bogdan Georgescu  1 , Emanuel Alin Radu  1 , Dana Lucia Stănculeanu  1
Affiliations
Review

Biochemical and Metabolical Pathways Associated with Microbiota-Derived Butyrate in Colorectal Cancer and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Implications: A Narrative Review

Adelina Silvana Gheorghe et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Knowledge regarding the influence of the microbial community in cancer promotion or protection has expanded even more through the study of bacterial metabolic products and how they can modulate cancer risk, which represents an extremely challenging approach for the relationship between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer (CRC). This review discusses research progress on the effect of bacterial dysbiosis from a metabolic point of view, particularly on the biochemical mechanisms of butyrate, one of the main short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) with anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties in CRC. Increased daily intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) significantly increases the density of bacteria that are known to produce butyrate. Omega-3 PUFAs have been proposed as a treatment to prevent gut microbiota dysregulation and lower the risk or progression of CRC.

Keywords: butyrate; colorectal cancer; diet; gut microbiota; omega-3 PUFAs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author Madalina Preda is an employee of MDPI; however, she does not work for the journal Nutrients at the time of submission and publication. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

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