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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Sep 6.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Virol. 2021 Jun 16;49:151–156. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.05.006

Figure 1.

Figure 1

The SCFA butyrate has opposing effects on inflammatory disease associated with influenza virus infection of the lung and CHIKV infection of joints.

(1) Gut microbes produce SCFAs including butyrate through fermentation of undigested carbohydrates in the intestinal lumen. (2) SCFAs enter circulation, reaching a wide range of peripheral tissues including bone and joints. (3) Butyrate promotes differentiation of bone marrow cells into monocytes predisposed to become tissue repair AAMs in a FFAR3-dependent process. (4) During influenza virus infection of the lung, mice fed a high fiber diet or supplemented with butyrate contain a higher proportion of AAMs in the lung macrophage population, resulting in reduced levels of the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL1 and hence reduced tissue damage resulting from neutrophilia. (5) Conversely, mice fed a high fiber diet or supplemented with butyrate develop more severe inflammatory arthropathy during CHIKV infection, correlating with a reduced signature of resolution phase macrophages (Mfs) which function to prevent neutrophil infiltration and initiate tissue repair. Created with BioRender.com.