Functional analysis of lactating short-chain fatty acids in allergic airway inflammation

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K16154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53030:Respiratory medicine-related
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Ito Takashi 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命医科学研究センター, 訪問研究員 (20823561)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 気管支喘息

Outline of Final Research Achievements

First, we examined whether exposure to propionate during lactation suppressed allergic airway inflammation in offspring mice. We found that the proportion of eosinophils and CD4+ T cells in the airways of propionate-fed mice decreased. Next, to elucidate the regulatory mechanism by which lactation propionate contributes to allergic airway inflammation, we analyzed GPR41- and GPR43-deficient mice. We found that GPR41-deficient mice had similar levels of eosinophils in BALF regardless of propionate exposure, whereas in contrast, propionate treatment ameliorated wild-type allergic airway inflammation in GPR43-deficient mice. These results indicate that GPR41 acts as a propionate receptor in the suppression of allergic airway inflammation.

Free Research Field

アレルギー学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では特定の腸内細菌が産生するプロピオン酸がアレルギー性気道炎症を抑制することを明らかにした。本成果は短鎖脂肪酸が腸管内疾患のみならずアレルギー疾患などの腸管外疾患に深く関与していることを示しており、今後腸内細菌や短鎖脂肪酸をターゲットとした気管支喘息を含めたアレルギー疾患に対する新しい治療法の開発に寄与することが期待できる。