Short-Chain Fatty Acids Analysis
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), also known as volatile fatty acids (VFAs), refer to organic fatty acids with fewer than six carbon atoms in their chain. They are key metabolic products generated by gut microbiota through the fermentation of dietary fiber and resistant starch. Major SCFAs include acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, isovaleric acid, and others. They serve not only as a crucial energy source for intestinal epithelial cells but also as core signaling molecules linking gut microbial communities to host health.
In recent years, extensive research has revealed the vital roles SCFAs play in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, regulating immune responses, influencing energy metabolism, and mediating gut-brain axis communication. Notably, butyric acid has emerged as a research focus due to its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties and epigenetic regulatory functions (e.g., histone deacetylase inhibition). Consequently, the precise quantification of SCFAs in biological samples has become an indispensable tool in fields such as nutrition, metabolic disease research, immunology, neuroscience, and microbiome studies.
Our Services
Creative Diagnostics specializes in providing comprehensive and precise targeted metabolomics solutions for SCFA detection. Our services include:
- Targeted Precision Detection: Utilizing a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) platform, we offer absolute quantification of seven core SCFAs, including acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid. Our method ensures high specificity, effectively distinguishing structural analogs (e.g., butyric acid vs. isobutyric acid).
- Multi-Sample Compatibility: Our optimized standardized preprocessing procedures and analytical protocols are compatible with a wide range of complex biological samples, ensuring data accuracy and reproducibility.
- List of Detectable Metabolites:
| No. | Metabolite |
| 1 | Acetic acid |
| 2 | Propionic acid |
| 3 | Butyric acid |
| 4 | Isobutyric acid |
| 5 | Valeric acid |
| 6 | Isovaleric acid |
| 7 | Hexanoic acid |
Service Advantages
Our core strength lies in leveraging a high-performance LC-MS/MS platform combined with isotope internal standard absolute quantification and automated preprocessing workflows. This enables high-sensitivity (reaching nanomolar to picomolar levels), high-accuracy (ensured precision through internal standard calibration), and high-throughput detection of SCFAs. We further support this with professional bioinformatics services, including data normalization, differential analysis, and statistical interpretation, providing a one-stop research solution from precise experimentation to in-depth data analysis.
Workflow
You will communicate with our technical support team regarding your research objectives, sample types, and quantities. We will tailor the optimal detection protocol for your needs.
We provide detailed guidelines for sample collection, processing, and storage (e.g., fecal samples should be rapidly frozen at -80°C; avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles) to ensure sample integrity. You can prepare and ship samples according to these guidelines.
Our laboratory team performs sample extraction, derivation, and other steps following standard operating procedures. We concurrently run blank samples, quality control samples, and standard curves to monitor data quality throughout the process.
Samples are analyzed using the LC-MS/MS platform under optimal instrument conditions.
Raw data is processed, quantified, and statistically analyzed.
Application
- Gut Microbiome Research: Evaluate the impact of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, or specific dietary interventions (e.g., high-fiber diets) on the metabolic function of gut microbiota.
- Mechanistic Studies of Metabolic Diseases: Investigate the role of SCFAs in the development and progression of diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and atherosclerosis, and identify potential biomarkers.
- Immune & Inflammatory Disease Research: Elucidate how SCFAs like butyrate influence the course of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), asthma, and arthritis through mechanisms like regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation.
- Neuroscience & Gut-Brain Axis Research: Explore the potential role of the microbiota-SCFA-brain pathway in neurological disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
- Drug & Functional Food Development: Provide a key tool for efficacy assessment and mechanistic studies of drugs or health products aimed at modulating gut microbiota and elevating SCFA levels.
