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Review
. 2023 Feb 2:13:1083432.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1083432. eCollection 2022.

The role of short-chain fatty acids in inflammatory skin diseases

Xianjun Xiao  1 , Xiaoshen Hu  1 , Junpeng Yao  2 , Wei Cao  2 , Zihao Zou  2 , Lu Wang  2 , Haiyan Qin  2 , Dongling Zhong  1 , Yuxi Li  1 , Peiwen Xue  1 , Rongjiang Jin  1 , Ying Li  2 , Yunzhou Shi  1 , Juan Li  1
Affiliations
Review

The role of short-chain fatty acids in inflammatory skin diseases

Xianjun Xiao et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are metabolites of gut microbes that can modulate the host inflammatory response, and contribute to health and homeostasis. Since the introduction of the gut-skin axis concept, the link between SCFAs and inflammatory skin diseases has attracted considerable attention. In this review, we have summarized the literature on the role of SCFAs in skin inflammation, and the correlation between SCFAs and inflammatory skin diseases, especially atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and psoriasis. Studies show that SCFAs are signaling factors in the gut-skin axis and can alleviate skin inflammation. The information presented in this review provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms driving gut-skin axis regulation, along with possible pathways that can be targeted for the treatment and prevention of inflammatory skin diseases.

Keywords: acne; atopic dermatitis; eczema; histone deacetylase (HDAC); inflammatory skin disease; psoriasis; short-chain fatty acid (SCFA); urticaria.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic representation of the roles of SCFAs in inflammatory skin diseases. Both gut and skin microbiota can produce SCFAs. SCFAs can enhance the activity of Treg, improve mitochondrial metabolism, promote keratinocyte differentiation, reduce the expression of inflammatory factors in HaCaT cells, and inhibit the inflammatory response induced by P. acnes that results in skin inflammation relief and skin barrier improvement. FLG, filaggrin; FOXP3, forkhead box protein 3; GPCRs, G protein-coupled receptors; HaCaT, human immortalized keratinocytes; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1; IFN-γ, interferon-γ; IL-6, interleukin-6; IL-8, interleukin-8; IL-10, interleukin-10; IL-17, interleukin-17; LCFAs, long-chain fatty acids; NHEKs, normal human epidermal keratinocytes; P. acnes, Propionibacterium acnes; S. epidermidis, Staphylococcus epidermidis; SCFAs, short chain fatty acids; TGM1, transglutaminase-1; TLR-2, toll-like receptor-2; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; Treg, regulatory T-cells; VLCFAs, very long-chain fatty acids.
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Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82205283 and 82105026) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Nos. 2022MD723719 and 2021MD693787).

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