Fig. 9

Supplementation with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) does not restore altered motility or intestinal permeability induced by antibiotic (Abx) treatment but normalizes gut responses to stress. a Male mice treated with Abx were either supplemented with a mixture of SCFA (67.5 mM of acetate, 25.9 mM of propionate, 40 mM of butyrate) in the drinking water concomitant with Abx treatment (Abx + SCFA) or after 14 days of Abx treatment (Abx + SCFA at d14). Control and Abx-only (Abx) water were pH- and sodium-matched to the SCFA mixture. Experiments were performed between 21-28 days after the beginning of the Abx treatment. b Body weight variation over the course of the experiment (two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test). c–e Intestinal anatomical parameters; c cecal wet weight, d small intestinal length, and e colon length. f Fecal pellet wet weight and g wet:dry ratio of the feces measured after a 1-h novel environment stress. h Ion transport evaluated in ileal preparations mounted in Ussing chambers after stimulation with veratridine (10μM) or carbachol (100μM). i Whole gut transit time. j Small intestinal transit distance (as a % of total intestinal length) measured 15 min after gavage with dye. k Distal colonic motility measured by bead expulsion time. l Intestinal permeability assessed by fluorescein-5-6-sulfonic acid (FSA) concentration in the serum 4 h after gavage with FSA. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. b–g n = 9–10; h n = 5; i–l n = 9–10. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001; one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test