Table 1.

Role of butyrate in intestinal homoeostasis

Role in intestinal homoeostasis	Mechanisms	Outcome
Anti-inflammatory function	Inhibits histone deacetylases	Pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8)
	Inhibits NF-kB pathway	Anti-inflammatory mediators (IL-10)
Energy source	90% of butyrate taken up by colonocytes for β-oxidation	Butyrate is the primary energy source for colonocytes
Protective against colon cancer	Inhibits histone deacetylases (Dachas)	Apoptosis of colon cancer cells
	Induces cell cycle arrest	Proliferation of colon cancer cells
Enhance epithelial barrier function and defence against pathogens	Increased expression of MUC2 gene	Mucin production
	Regulates tight junctional proteins	Antimicrobial peptide production
		Intestinal epithelial permeability
Anti-diarrhetic	Stimulates Na+ and Cl− coupled transport systems Inhibits secretion of Cl−	Sodium, chloride, potassium and water absorption in colon

A summary of the effects of butyrate on gut homoeostasis. The different roles of butyrate in gut homoeostasis are outlined with a description of the mechanisms and outcomes for each role. Blue arrow direction indicates an increase or decrease.