Dietary fiber and short-chain fatty acids affect cell proliferation and protein synthesis in isolated rat colonocytes

Colonic metabolism may be affected by dietary fiber and short-chain fatty acids, the products of fiber fermentation. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of fiber supplementation (150 g/kg diet) on dynamic measurements of metabolism in isolated rat colonic epithelial cells. Additionally, we investigated the effect of in vitro short-chain fatty acid and glutamine concentrations and media osmolarity on oxygen uptake, protein synthesis, cell proliferation and anaplerotic flux. Colonocyte oxygen consumption did not differ due to fiber supplementation or the inclusion of short -chain fatty acids in incubation media. Cell proliferation (3H-thymidine uptake) was increased by fiber consumption (P