COVID-19 and intestinal dysbiosis: the proposed mechanism of short-chain fatty acids for preventing cytokine storm and multi-organ failure

The world is currently facing the COVID-19 pandemic that is taking a heavy toll on several countries. While many infected patients have a good prognosis, in some cases the progression can be serious and even lead to death. The commonly seen complications are a cytokine storm and multi-organ failure that require intensive care. The mortality of critically ill patients depends on age (> 65 years), sex (male) or co-morbidities. There is an urgent need to discover a biomarker to identify early on patients at risk of developing serious complications, and to find an effective treatment that could prevent disease progression and critical states. Recent investigations have pointed to the possible contribution of intestinal dysbiosis to the pathophysiology of COVID-19. Herein, we hypothesize that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by the gut microbiota, can prevent immune system activation and disease progression.