Short-chain fatty acids in ulcerative colitis.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), a by-product of anaerobic fermentation of undigested carbohydrates within the colon, are an important energy source for colonic epithelial cells. It has been proposed that ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory condition of the colon, may result from a metabolic defect in SCFA oxidation in the colon and that this defect may be corrected by supraphysiologic luminal levels of SCFA in the colon. Clinical trials published to date suggest that topical SCFA provide an effective primary and/or adjunctive treatment in patients with mild to moderate distal ulcerative colitis at substantial cost savings and without significant side effects.