Altered serum short-chain fatty acid profiles in episodic and chronic migraine and their modulation by preventive treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, are gut-microbiota-derived metabolites implicated in gut–brain communication. This study aimed to characterize serum SCFA profiles in individuals with episodic migraine (EM) or chronic migraine (CM) compared with healthy controls (HC) and to examine associations between preventive treatment and these metabolites. METHODS: Adults with EM, CM, and age- and sex-matched HC were enrolled. Serum levels of acetate, propionate, and butyrate were quantified using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Group differences in SCFA levels were assessed using Quade’s nonparametric analysis of covariance, adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index. Multiple linear regression examined independent associations between preventive treatment and SCFA levels. Moderation analysis evaluated whether preventive treatment modified the association between SCFA levels and headache days per 30 days. RESULTS: Of the 476 participants (HC: n = 108; EM: n = 190; CM: n = 178), those with EM or CM without preventive treatment had lower serum butyrate levels than did HC (EM: p = 0.001; CM: p = 0.005), with no significant differences in acetate or propionate. Preventive treatment was independently associated with higher serum propionate levels (B = 0.805, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.395–1.215, p < 0.001) in those with CM but not in those with EM. Although preventive treatment did not significantly modify…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.