Possible roles of short-chain fatty acids in the pathophysiology and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

Figure 5 Summary of short chain fatty acids effects on irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and the associated fatigue, and their possible mechanisms of actions, as well as their potential therapeutic use for treating irritable bowel syndrome[34]. A: Mechanism of action; B: Clinical outcomes of treatment. Citation for B: El-Salhy M, Valeur J, Brønstad I, Gilja OH, Hatlebakk JG. Possible Role of Butyric Acid in Long-Term Symptom Relief in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients Following Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2025; 37: E70115. Copyright ©The Authors 2025. Published by John Wiley & Sons. The article is open access (Supplementary material). IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome; SCFA: Short chain fatty acids; FMT: Fecal microbiota transplantation.