Role of gut microbiota derived short chain fatty acid metabolites in modulating female reproductive health

Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) have been linked to women's reproductive health, though to a lesser extent, alteration in the production of SCFA and SCFA-producing bacteria has been associated significantly with pregnancy-related complications, unfavourable pregnancy outcomes, menstrual anomalies, and gynaecological cancer.

The female reproductive system is a delicate, intricate, hormone-dependent group of tissues required for the continuity of life and the species' survival. Reproductive health impacts the ovarian function to implantation and foetal development. Several environmental and physiological factors contribute to mammalian infertility concerns caused by a change in reproductive health status. Several lifestyle factors have been demonstrated to affect reproductive health, including age, body weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, work stress, exercise, diet, and nutrition. Nutrition influences puberty, the menstrual cycle, ovulation, conception, implantation and early foetal development. This review provides an overview of how intestinal derived SCFAs maintains female reproductive health summarizing the current knowledge and future perspectives. Microbial SCFAs improve human metabolism by interfering with, glucose homeostasis, appetite regulation and lipid metabolism. Also affect host immunity and intestinal barrier integrity via primary by inhibition of Histone deacetylases (HDAC) mechanism. Therefore, SCFAs exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, immunoregulatory, anti-diabetes, anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular protective and neuroprotective properties.

This review highlights recent findings on SCFA and gynaecological pathologies such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, pregnancy complications, polycystic ovary syndrome, bacterial vaginosis, and endometriosis to describe current knowledge of the relationship between SCFA and reproductive health and disease in women.