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. 2023 Jan 11;13:1063543. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1063543

Figure 9.

Figure 9

Potential role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in treating sepsis. In the pathogenesis of sepsis, there is an imbalance in the intestinal flora, which decreases the production of SCFAs from intestinal flora metabolites and decreases the ability of SCFAs to bind to GPR43. It also induces further NOD-like receptor protein-3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes to be made and more IL-1β and IL-18 to be released, exacerbating the inflammatory response of tissues and cells. In addition, NLRP3 triggers the activation of caspase-1, which in turn cleaves the gasdermin D (GSDMD) protein and triggers cell pyroptosis, hence exacerbating sepsis and perpetuating the vicious cycle. FMT and SCFAs can protect intestinal function, regulate the distribution and amount of intestinal flora, restore dominant intestinal flora, boost the production of SCFAs, limit inflammatory response and cell pyroptosis, and subsequently protect against sepsis. (Created with BioRender.com).