{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T19:18:28Z","timestamp":1790882308396,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]],"date-time":"2025-03-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1741564800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"\u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The interplay between gut microbiota and retinal health, known as the gut-\u2013retina axis, has gained increasing attention in recent years. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), metabolites produced by gut microbiota, have been identified as key mediators of gut\u2013retina communication. This systematic review explores the role of SCFAs in retinal health and their potential impact on the development and progression of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma. A literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, to identify studies published between 2014 and December 2024. Studies were included if they investigated the effects of SCFAs on retinal structure, function, or disease pathogenesis in animal models or human subjects. The review included 10 original articles spanning both preclinical and clinical studies. Evidence suggests that SCFAs play a crucial role in maintaining retinal homeostasis through anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective mechanisms. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, leading to altered SCFA production, was associated with increased retinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular dysfunction. Furthermore, reduced SCFA levels were linked to the progression of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Modulation of gut microbiota and SCFA levels through dietary interventions or probiotics may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing or managing retinal diseases. Further research is needed to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms underlying SCFA-mediated retinal protection and to evaluate the efficacy of targeted therapies in clinical settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26062470","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]],"date-time":"2025-03-10T12:02:59Z","timestamp":1741608179000},"page":"2470","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":32,"title":["Short-Chain Fatty Acids and the Gut\u2013Retina Connection: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7842-647X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Ciurariu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Functional Sciences, Physiology, Centre of Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies (CIFBIOTEH), \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreea-Talida","family":"Tirziu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0320-6904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Norberth-Istvan","family":"Varga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bogdan","family":"Hirtie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Department of General Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-2245-231X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandru","family":"Alexandru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-0512-9183","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristiana-Smaranda","family":"Ivan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine, \u201cVictor Babe\u015f\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square, No. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Nicolescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cVasile Goldis\u201d Western University, Bulevardul Revolutiei 94, 310025 Arad, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19614","DOI":"10.18632\/aging.203374","article-title":"Global, regional, and national burden of blindness and vision loss due to common eye diseases along with its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019: A systematic analysis from the global burden of disease study 2019","volume":"13","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aging"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators, and Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study (2021). 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