Figure 1.

Schematic roles of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in kidney diseases. In kidney, SCFAs regulated immune responses, decreased inflammation, enhanced anti-oxidant, reduced kidney fibrosis, as well as modulated blood pressure and metabolism mainly related to their activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the inhibition of histone acetylation (HDAC). All of these benefits from SCFAs improved kidney function with the decreased levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in both acute kidney jury and chronic kidney disease. However, SCFAs also promoted acetate-induced renal disease under certain condition as the negative outcomes. IL-10: Interleukin 10; NF-κB: Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; TGF-β1: Transforming growth factor beta 1; TLR4: Toll-like receptor 4.