Research progress of indole 3-propionic acid in metabolic diseases
Indole-3-propionic acid(3-IPA)is a metabolic product of tryptophan by gut microbiota,which plays an important role in maintaining host health and metabolic balance.3-IPA is suggested to influence host physical ac-tivities via enhancing the intestinal epithelial barrier,exerting anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects,as well as im-mune modulation.Recent studies have indicated that deficiency of 3-IPA or gut microbiota imbalance is involved in the de-velopment of various metabolic disorders including obesity,diabetes and cardiovascular diseases,indicating 3-IPA is a po-tential marker in diagnosing these disorders.Furthermore,supplementation with 3-IPA or fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)have been shown to effectively improve the metabolic diseases.This review summarizes the role and mechanism of 3-IPA in metabolic diseases,suggesting that strategies such as modifying dietary patterns or improving the microbial envi-ronment could provide new approaches for the prevention and treatment of these diseases.