Examination of the in vitro Regenerative and Neuroprotective Potential of Short Chain Fatty Acid Butyrate

Immune-mediated polyneuropathies stem from dysregulation of the immune system and affect a wide range of the population. Inflammatory diseases such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are the most common acute and chronic treatable immune-mediated polyneuropathies. The immune system mediates primarily demyelination but also neuronal degeneration through oxidative stress. As a result, patients suffer from hyporeflexia or areflexia accompanied with sensory and motor deficits as the disease progresses, which can lead to hospitalization and death.

Over the years, nutrition and intestinal metabolism have become more relevant for the regulation of the immune system. In particular, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) have become the focus of attention. Currently, the best-studied SCFA is butyrate, produced by bacteria in the intestine along with propionate and acetate. Butyrate has already achieved promising results in areas such as oncology and immunology. Now, in the context of this master thesis, the question arises of the neuroprotective and neuroregenerative abilities of butyrate under oxidative stress.