Fig. 6
Sodium butyrate is the most potent SCFA in reducing chronic voluntary ethanol intake, produced in a dose-dependent manner. (A) Male UChB rats, voluntarily consuming a 10% ethanol solution for 44 days, were treated with either (1) a combination of SCFAs (300 mg/kg each sodium acetate, sodium propionate and sodium butyrate), (2) 300 mg/kg sodium acetate; (3) 300 mg/kg sodium propionate; (4) 300 mg/kg sodium butyrate, or (5) vehicle by oral gavage twice-daily for five days. Ethanol intake was expressed as g/kg body weight/day. Arrows indicate intragastric administrations. We observed a significant effect of treatment [Ftreatment(4,25) = 8.216, p < 0.001], day [Fday(3418, 85.46) = 452.9, p < 0.0001] and a significant treatment × day interaction [Finteraction(64,400) = 39.65, p < 0.0001] compared to the vehicle group. Sodium butyrate administration produces a significantly greater reduction in ethanol consumption than sodium acetate (*p < 0.05), sodium propionate (*p < 0.05), and the vehicle (****p < 0.0001). (B) Male UChB rats voluntarily consuming a 10% ethanol solution for 63 days were treated with either (1) 300 mg/kg sodium butyrate; (2) 30 mg/kg sodium butyrate; (3) 3 mg/kg sodium butyrate; or (4) vehicle by oral gavage twice-daily for five days. Ethanol intake was expressed as gr/kg body weight/day. We observed a significant effect of treatment [Ftreatment(3,20) = 46.42, p < 0.0001], day [Fday(2339, 46.78) = 128.8, p < 0.0001] and a significant treatment × day interaction [Finteraction(24,160) = 48.54, p < 0.0001] compared to the vehicle group. The reduction of ethanol intake induced by a dose of 300 mg/kg of sodium butyrate, compared to that of the vehicle group, is significantly greater than that induced by 30 mg/kg and by that 3 mg/kg sodium butyrate. Arrows indicate intragastric administrations. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. N = 6 animals per group. Two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc tests, *p < 0.05, ****p < 0.0001.
