Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a group of low molecular weight fatty acids, typically with fewer than six carbon atoms, that are produced via fermentation of dietary fibers by gut microbiota. The principal SCFAs in mammals are acetate, propionate, and butyrate. SCFAs are absorbed from the gut and exert a variety of biological effects: they serve as energy substrates (especially for colonocytes), modulate immune and inflammatory responses, regulate metabolic processes, and act as ligands for specific cell-surface receptors such as GPR41 (FFAR3), GPR43 (FFAR2), and GPR109A (HCA2). They play key roles in gut-brain signaling, cardiovascular health, glucose and lipid metabolism, and have implications for diseases such as obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory conditions. However, SCFAs themselves are not considered therapeutic molecular targets; instead, their receptors or downstream signaling pathways are true therapeutic targets. Manipulation of SCFA levels—for example through prebiotics, diet, or engineered bacteria—is a strategy to modulate health via their biological activity, but the molecule class is best considered as metabolites or signaling mediators, not druggable targets.

Other names

SCFAshort chain fatty acidacetatepropionatebutyrateisobutyratevalerate

Not applicable as SCFAs are not drug targets. SCFAs act as ligands at receptors, notably GPR43 (FFAR2), GPR41 (FFAR3), and GPR109A (HCA2). Drugs can mimic or inhibit their signaling at these receptors, but do not target SCFAs directly.