Short-chain fatty acids alleviate lung damage caused by interleukin-17 in contagious caprine pleuropneumonia

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease in goats, caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp). There is a limited understanding of the immunopathogenesis of this disease, which hinders the development of effective control strategies. Several researches have shown that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have promising potential in the prevention and treatment of lung diseases. However, it remains unclear whether it produces similar therapeutic effects in the case of CCPP. Goat and mouse models were used in this study to investigate the mechanisms underlying the inflammatory immune response during CCPP infection. In mice, gut microbiota dysbiosis resulted in severe lung infection caused by Mccp. The damage to the lungs was significantly alleviated when SCFAs were preadministered to Mccp-infected mice. In the case of goat lung epithelial cells, pretreatment with SCFAs also significantly reduced the expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α induced by MCCP infection and improved cell viability. The optimal therapeutic concentration of SCFAs was found to be 0.5 mg/mL. Our results demonstrate the potential of SCFA to prevent CCPP in goats by suppressing the inflammatory response.