Gut inflammation is a challenging concern in humans and animals, which disturbs normal growth and leads to severe bowel diseases. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the gut microbiota metabolites produced from fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates, and have been reported to modulate gut inflammation. SCFA have been implicated as the potential therapeutic bioactive molecules for gut inflammatory diseases, and could be an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters (AGP). In this review, the existing knowledge about the types of SCFA, the related gut microbes producing SCFA, the roles of SCFA in maintaining gut homeostasis, and how SCFA modulate gut inflammation is summarized. The therapeutic application of SCFA in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is also highlighted.

肠道炎症是人类和动物面临的一个具有挑战性的问题，它会干扰正常生长并导致严重的肠道疾病。短链脂肪酸 (SCFA) 是由不易消化的碳水化合物发酵产生的肠道微生物群代谢产物，据报道可调节肠道炎症。SCFA 被认为是肠道炎症性疾病的潜在治疗性生物活性分子，并且可能是抗生素生长促进剂 (AGP) 的替代品。在这篇综述中，总结了有关 SCFA 类型、产生 SCFA 的相关肠道微生物、SCFA 在维持肠道稳态中的作用以及 SCFA 如何调节肠道炎症的现有知识。还强调了 SCFA 在治疗炎症性肠病 (IBD) 中的治疗应用。