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REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Intestinal Microbiome
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1434687
This article is part of the Research Topic The Gut Microbiome in Gut-Lung Axis Related Respiratory Infectious Diseases View all 7 articles

The emerging roles of microbiome and short-chain fatty acids in the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Provisionally accepted
Yuan Gao Yuan Gao 1Kaixuan Wang Kaixuan Wang 2Zupan Lin Zupan Lin 1Shujing Cai Shujing Cai 1Aohui Peng Aohui Peng 3Le He Le He 4Hui Qi Hui Qi 5Zhigang Jin Zhigang Jin 3*Xubo Qian Xubo Qian 2*
  • 1 NICU, Jinhua Maternal and child health care hospital, Jinhua, China
  • 2 Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
  • 3 College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 4 Department of Pediatrics, Jinhua Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinhua, China
  • 5 China National Clinical Research Center of Respiratory Diseases, Respiratory Department, Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children’s Health, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease that affects premature infants and leads to long-term pulmonary complications. The pathogenesis of BPD has not been fully elucidated yet. In recent years, the microbiome and its metabolites, especially short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in the gut and lungs have been demonstrated to be involved in the development and progression of the disease. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on the potential involvement of the microbiome and SCFAs, especially the latter, in the development and progression of BPD. First, we introduce the gut-lung axis, the production and functions of SCFAs, and the role of SCFAs in lung health and diseases. We then discuss the evidence supporting the involvement of the microbiome and SCFAs in BPD. Finally, we elaborate on the potential mechanisms of the microbiome and SCFAs in BPD, including immune modulation, epigenetic regulation, enhancement of barrier function, and modulation of surfactant production and the gut microbiome. This review could advance our understanding of the microbiome and SCFAs in the pathogenesis of BPD, which also helps identify new therapeutic targets and facilitate new drug development.

    Keywords: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, microbiota, microbiome, short-chain fatty acids, Gut-Lung Axis, Immune Modulation, Barrier function

    Received: 18 May 2024; Accepted: 28 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gao, Wang, Lin, Cai, Peng, He, Qi, Jin and Qian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhigang Jin, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, Zhejiang Province, China
    Xubo Qian, Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.