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Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Germfree Mice and Rats¹

Research Institute for Internal Medicine, Medical Department A, Section of Gastroenterology, and Department of Microbiology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway Institute for Medical Microbial Ecology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

The short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have been analyzed in small intestinal and cecal content of 10 germfree and six conventional mice from a Norwegian laboratory, in cecal content and serum of five germfree rats and two germfree mice from a Swedish laboratory and in Norwegian and Swedish autoclaved, nonpurified rodor diets. The mean total SCFA concentration was 1020 µmol/kg in cecum and 1010 µmol/kg in small intestine of Norwegian germfree mice; 124,600 µmol/kg in cecum and 6,250 µmol/kg in small intestine of conventional mice; 490 µmol/kg in cecum and 370 µmol/L in serum of Swedish rats; 360 µmol/kg in cecum and 290 µmol/L in serum of Swedish mice; 31.4 mmol/kg in Norwegian and 19.5 mmol/kg in Swedish nonpurified diets. Acetic acid accounted for more than 90% of the total concentration in all samples from germfree animals and diet, but detectable concentrations of propionic, isobutyric, n-butyric, isovaleric and n-valeric acid were also present. Thus, germfree animals have low, but measurable, concentrations of SCFAs in intestinal content compared to conventional animals. Most probably these acids originate mainly from the diet.

KEY WORDS: • acetic acid • butyric acid • germfree animals • propionic acid • short-chain fatty acids

¹ Supported by the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities and Swedish Medical Research Council (06852-03 A).

² To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

Manuscript received 9 October 1985. Revision accepted 21 March 1986.