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Butyrate and the Colonocyte

Production, Absorption, Metabolism, and Therapeutic Implications

  • Chapter
Dietary Fiber in Health and Disease

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 427))

Abstract

Butyrate is one of the three principal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in humans generated by colonic microbial fermentation of dietary substrates. SCFA are the C2-5 organic fatty acids, also called the volatile fatty acids (VFA), which include acetate, propionate and butyrate. Colonic intraluminal levels of butyrate may play a role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases of the large intestine. This chapter reviews the production, absorption, metabolism, and therapeutic implications of butyrate.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harrison Department of Surgical Research, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA

    Omaida C. Velázquez & Howard M. Lederer

  2. Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, USA

    John L. Rombeau

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  1. Omaida C. Velázquez
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  2. Howard M. Lederer
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  3. John L. Rombeau
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    David Kritchevsky

  2. Clinical Review Associates, McLean, Virginia, USA

    Charles Bonfield

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Velázquez, O.C., Lederer, H.M., Rombeau, J.L. (1997). Butyrate and the Colonocyte. In: Kritchevsky, D., Bonfield, C. (eds) Dietary Fiber in Health and Disease. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 427. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5967-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5967-2_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7735-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-5967-2

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