4-Hydroxybutyrate Promotes Endogenous Antimicrobial Peptide Expression in Macrophages.

This study evaluated the biological activity of hydroxylated derivatives of butyrate as inductors of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages . A differential modulation of AMP expression by the hydroxylated derivatives of butyrate is shown. The ability of sodium 4-hydroxybutyrate to upregulate AMP expression through a histone deacetylase inhibitory-independent mechanism, and to promote increased resistance to bacterial contamination are also shown.