The major end-products of
dietary fiber fermentation by gut microbiota are the
short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
acetate,
propionate, and
butyrate, which have been shown to modulate host metabolism via effects on metabolic pathways at different tissue sites. Several studies showed the inhibitory effects of
sodium propionate (SP) on nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway. We carried out an in vitro model of
inflammation on the J774-A1 cell line, by stimulation with
lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and H2O2, followed by the pre-treatment with SP at 0.1, 1 mM and 10 mM. To evaluate the effect on acute
inflammation and
superoxide anion-induced
pain, we performed a model of
carrageenan (CAR)-induced rat paw
inflammation and intraplantar injection of KO2 where rats received SP orally (10, 30, and 100 mg/kg). SP decreased in concentration-dependent-manner the expression of cicloxigenase-2 (COX-2) and
inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) following LPS stimulation. SP was able to enhance
anti-oxidant enzyme production such as
manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and
heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) following H2O2 stimulation. In in vivo models, SP (30 and 100 mg/kg) reduced paw
inflammation and tissue damage after CAR and KO2 injection. Our results demonstrated the anti-inflammatory and
anti-oxidant properties of SP; therefore, we propose that SP may be an effective strategy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.