High Acetate Concentration Protects Intestinal Barrier and Exerts Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer Cultures from Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Short-chain fatty acids as well as their bacterial producers are of increasing interest in inflammatory bowel diseases. Although less studied compared to butyrate, acetate might also be of interest as it may be less toxic to epithelial cells, stimulate butyrate-producing bacteria by cross-feeding, and have anti-inflammatory and barrier-protective properties. Moreover, one of the causative factors of the probiotic potency of Saccharomyces cerevisae var. boulardii is thought to be its high acetate production. Therefore, the objective was to preclinically assess the effects of high acetate concentrations on inflammation and barrier integrity in organoid-based monolayer cultures from ulcerative colitis patients. Confluent organoid-derived colonic epithelial monolayers (n = 10) were exposed to basolateral inflammatory stimulation or control medium. After 24 h, high acetate or control medium was administered apically for an additional 48 h. Changes in TEER were measured after 48 h. Expression levels of barrier genes and inflammatory markers were determined by qPCR. Pro-inflammatory proteins in the supernatant were quantified using the MSD platform. Increased epithelial resistance was observed with high acetate administration in both inflamed and non-inflamed conditions, together with decreased expression levels of IL8 and TNFα and CLDN1. Upon high acetate administration to inflamed monolayers, upregulation of HIF1α, MUC2, and MKI67, and a decrease of the majority of pro-inflammatory cytokines was observed. In our patient-derived human epithelial cell culture model, a protective effect of high acetate administration on epithelial resistance, barrier gene expression, and inflammatory protein production was observed. These findings open up new possibilities for acetate-mediated management of barrier defects and inflammation in IBD.