Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids do not interfere with SARS-CoV-2 infection of human colonic samples.
Lívia Bitencourt PascoalPatrícia Brito RodriguesLívia Moreira GenaroArilson Bernardo Dos Santos Pereira GomesDaniel Augusto Toledo-TeixeiraPierina Lorencini PariseKarina Bispo-Dos-SantosCamila Lopes SimeoniPaula Veri GuimarãesLucas Ildefonso BuscarattiJoão Gabriel De Angeli ElstonHenrique Marques-SouzaDaniel Martins-de-SouzaMaria De Lourdes Setsuko AyrizonoLício Augusto VellosoJosé Luiz Proenca-ModenaPedro Manoel Mendes Moraes-VieiraMarcelo Alves Silva MoriAlessandro Santos FariasMarco Aurélio Ramirez VinoloRaquel Franco LealPublished in: Gut microbes (2021)
Microbiota-derived molecules called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play a key role in the maintenance of the intestinal barrier and regulation of immune response during infectious conditions. Recent reports indicate that SARS-CoV-2 infection changes microbiota and SCFAs production. However, the relevance of this effect is unknown. In this study, we used human intestinal biopsies and intestinal epithelial cells to investigate the impact of SCFAs in the infection by SARS-CoV-2. SCFAs did not change the entry or replication of SARS-CoV-2 in intestinal cells. These metabolites had no effect on intestinal cells' permeability and presented only minor effects on the production of anti-viral and inflammatory mediators. Together our findings indicate that the changes in microbiota composition of patients with COVID-19 and, particularly, of SCFAs do not interfere with the SARS-CoV-2 infection in the intestine.