Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
Author Spotlight: Liujunzi Decoction as a Traditional Chinese Treatment for Coloproctitis Cancer
Published on: October 13, 2023
Butyrate modulates antioxidant enzyme expression in malignant and non-malignant human colon tissues
Franziska Jahns1, Anne Wilhelm, Nadja Jablonowski
1Department of Nutritional Toxicology, Institute of Nutrition, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Department of Single Cell and Single Molecule Techniques, Leibniz Institute for Age Research - Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany.
Butyrate, a fiber-derived compound, shows antioxidant potential in human colon tissues by boosting superoxide dismutase (SOD2) in cancer and catalase (CAT) in normal cells. Further research is needed to understand its cellular effects.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Oncology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Antioxidant enzymes are crucial for colon cancer chemoprevention.
- The effects of butyrate, a dietary fiber metabolite, on human colon tissue antioxidant enzymes are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of butyrate on catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD2) in human colon tissues at various stages of transformation ex vivo.
- To assess butyrate's influence on antioxidant enzyme expression, activity, and protection against oxidative stress.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, and spectrophotometric assays were used.
- Matched human colon tissues (normal, adenoma, adenocarcinoma) were treated with butyrate ex vivo.
- Normal colon cells were exposed to butyrate and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to assess DNA damage.
Main Results:
- Butyrate increased SOD2 expression and activity in colonic adenocarcinomas.
- In normal colon epithelium, butyrate elevated CAT mRNA and protein levels but not activity.
- Butyrate enhanced SOD2 activity in normal cells despite decreased expression, suggesting increased protection against superoxide radicals.
- Preliminary tests showed no protective effect of butyrate against H2O2-mediated DNA damage.
Conclusions:
- Butyrate demonstrates ex vivo antioxidant properties in human colon tissues, particularly affecting SOD2 in cancer and CAT/SOD2 in normal cells.
- The cellular consequences and protective mechanisms of butyrate require further in-depth investigation.
- An age-dependent decrease in CAT and SOD2 activity was observed in normal colon epithelium.
