Effect of Butyrate on Blood Viscosity and Immunological Mediators in Gestational Testosterone-Exposed Rats

ABSTRACT Butyrate, a four-carbon short-chain fatty acid, is produced through microbial fermentation of dietary fibers in the lower intestinal tract. Endogenous butyrate production, delivery, and absorption by colonocytes of past studies have been well documented Butyrate is well-known for its immune-modulatory properties. Studies until now only focused on the in vitro effects of butyrate or assessed local effects in the gut upon butyrate administration. In this trial, we studied the systemic anti-inflammatory effects induced by butyrate supplementation in testosterone exposed Wistar rats. Therefore, oral butyrate administration may be beneficial in reducing the overall inflammatory status of circulating peripheral blood and immunological mediators in gestational testosterone exposed rats. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of co-administration of butyrate in gestational testosterone exposed female Wistar rat. A female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 experimental group (n=5) and treated as following: groups A, B and C were the control, testosterone treated group and the testosterone ad butyrate group respectively. All administration were done orally. Rats were then anesthesized using ketamine, blood, samples were collected to determine biochemical parameters (blood viscosity and immunological mediators). The result of this study showed an increase in platelet count, mean plasma volume, platelet crit, white blood cells and a decrease in platelet lymphocytes and no significant changes in white blood cell (lymphocytes) of all v testosterone treated groups. In testosterone ad butyrate only group there was a decrease in platelet count, platelet crit, white blood cell and an increase in mean plasma volume, platelet lymphocyte and white blood cell lymphocytes. The decrease and increase were all found to be significant.