Short-chain fatty acid-producing taxa (SCFA-producing taxa)

Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing taxa are a functional group of commensal gut bacteria, primarily within the Bacillota (formerly Firmicutes) and Bacteroidota phyla, that ferment non-digestible carbohydrates into acetate, propionate, and butyrate. These bacteria, which include key species such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia intestinalis, and Akkermansia muciniphila, serve as a critical therapeutic target for modulating host health via the microbiome-gut-organ axes. The SCFAs they produce act as signaling molecules by binding to G protein-coupled receptors (e.g., GPR41, GPR43) and acting as epigenetic regulators through the inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs). A reduction in the abundance or activity of these taxa is strongly linked to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, and even neurological disorders. Therapeutic interventions include the use of prebiotics to selectively feed these taxa, probiotics to reintroduce them, or fecal microbiota transplants to restore the entire functional ecosystem. As a therapeutic target, they represent a shift toward ecological and metabolic pharmacology aimed at restoring homeostatic immune and metabolic signaling.

Other names

Short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteriaButyrate-producing bacteriaAcetogenic bacteriaFiber-fermenting gut microbiotaCommensal SCFA producers

Modulation of the gut microbiome composition and metabolic activity to increase the endogenous production of short-chain fatty acids, which subsequently bind to host receptors (GPR41/43) and inhibit HDACs to regulate inflammation and metabolism.