Quantitative reduction in short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, contributes to the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 10-15% of the population worldwide, results in high morbidity and mortality, and requires costly treatment and renal replacement therapy. Glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and persistent intestinal flora disturbance are common in CKD. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), produced by the intestinal microbiota, have been previously reported to ameliorate kidney injury; however, the specific concentrations and types that are required to improve renal function remain unknown. The present study aims to evaluate the levels of SCFAs in healthy and CKD patients, and to test the hypothesis that SCFAs play a critical role in delaying CKD progression. One hundred and twenty-seven patients with CKD and 63 healthy controls from China were enrolled in the present study. Butyrate, which is considered beneficial to humans, was almost three-times higher in healthy volunteers than that in CKD5 subjects (P=0.001). Moreover, the serum SCFA levels in controls were significantly higher than that in CKD patients (P<0.05), and the butyrate level among CKD5 patients (1.48 ± 0.60 µmol/l) was less than half of that in controls (3.44 ± 2.12 µmol/l, P<0.001). In addition, we observed an inverse correlation between butyrate level and renal function (P<0.05). A CKD rat model transplanted with microbiota obtained from CKD patients exhibited accelerated CKD progression via increased production of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which was reversed by supplementation with extra butyrate. Our results showed that SCFA levels were reduced in CKD patients and that butyrate supplementation might delay CKD progression.

Preliminary study on treatment of partial androgen deficiency in aging males with Jingui Shenqi Pill.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of Jingui Shengqi Pill in treating partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM), and to explore the new approach in improving the quality of life in PADAM patients. METHODS: Forty patients with PADAM were treated with JSP, the efficacy was evaluated with international index of erectile function (IIEF) scoring, PADAM questionnaire scoring, hormone, prostatic specific antigen (PSA), etc., and the data before treatment were compared with those after treatment in the same group. RESULTS: After 3 months of treatment, PADAM scoring and IIEF scoring were all significantly improved. Symptoms regarding physical ability, vasomotion, and psychical and mental condition all got improved more markedly than symptoms regarding sexual hypofunction. The serum level of testosterone was 3.85 +/- 0.36 before treatment and 5.02 +/- 0.83 after treatment (P < 0.05); luteinizing hormone of 7.33 +/- 2.14 and 4.84 +/- 1.43 (P < 0.01), follicle-stimulating hormone of 10.22 +/- 4.48 and 6.47 +/- 3.28 (P < 0.01), respectively. The level of PSA failed to change significantly (1.94 +/- 0.55 and 2.06 +/- 0.47, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: JSP is effective and safe in treating PADAM, the mechanism of it is different from supplementing extrinsic androgen. It may have produced the effect by means of favorably regulating the condition of sex hormone to improve the balance of pituitary-sex gland axis, so it has more extensive clinical application.