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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Calcif Tissue Int. 2018 Jan 23;102(4):406–414. doi: 10.1007/s00223-018-0395-3

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Schematic of the connection of gut microbiota, host IGF-1 and effects on bone. Gut microbiota produced short chain fatty acids (SCFA), and possibly other yet to be identified microbial metabolites, act on liver and adipose tissue to induce production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which in turn acts on bone cells to influence linear growth, bone mass and mineralization. Additionally, metabolites could act directly on bone and muscle, inducing local IGF-1 production. Whether the effect of SCFA on host IGF-1 is mediated by their G-protein coupled receptors (GPR) is not known. Microbial metabolites including SCFA may also have as yet unappreciated effect on growth hormone (GH) release from the pituitary, promoting liver IGF-1 production. Further, it is possible that the well-documented effects of SCFA on the immune system indirectly influence host growth and skeletal development