ALSUntangled #64: butyrates

Yuyao Sun; Richard Bedlack; Carmel Armon; Morgan Beauchamp; Tulio Bertorini; Robert Bowser; Mark Bromberg; James Caress; Gregory Carter; Jesse Crayle; Merit E Cudkowicz; Jonathan D Glass; Carlayne Jackson; Isaac Lund; Sarah Martin; Sabrina Paganoni; Gary Pattee; Dylan Ratner; Kristiana Salmon; Paul Wicks

doi:10.1080/21678421.2022.2045323

ALSUntangled #64: butyrates

Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2022 Nov;23(7-8):638-643. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2022.2045323. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Authors

Yuyao Sun¹, Richard Bedlack¹, Carmel Armon², Morgan Beauchamp³, Tulio Bertorini⁴, Robert Bowser⁵, Mark Bromberg⁶, James Caress⁷, Gregory Carter⁸, Jesse Crayle⁹, Merit E Cudkowicz¹⁰, Jonathan D Glass¹¹, Carlayne Jackson¹², Isaac Lund¹³, Sarah Martin¹⁴, Sabrina Paganoni¹⁰, Gary Pattee¹⁵, Dylan Ratner¹⁶, Kristiana Salmon¹⁷, Paul Wicks¹⁸

Affiliations

¹ Neurology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
² Department of Neurology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
³ Undergraduate, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
⁴ Neurology Department, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
⁶ Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
⁷ Department of Neurology, Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
⁸ Department of Rehabilitation, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Spokane, WA, USA.
⁹ Neurology Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
¹⁰ Neurology Department, Mass General Brigham Inc, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Neurology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹² Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
¹³ Student, Green Hope High School, Cary, NC, USA.
¹⁴ Physical Therapy Program, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Neurology, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
¹⁶ Student, Longmeadow High School, Longmeadow, MA, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Neurology, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal Canada.
¹⁸ Independent Consultant, UK.

PMID: 35225121
DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2022.2045323

Abstract

ALSUntangled reviews alternative and off-label treatments for people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PALS). Here we review butyrate and its different chemical forms (butyrates). Butyrates have plausible mechanisms for slowing ALS progression and positive pre-clinical studies. One trial suggests that sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) in combination with Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) can slow ALS progression and prolong survival, but the specific contribution of NaPB toward this effect is unclear. Butyrates appear reasonably safe for use in humans. Based on the above information, we support a trial of a butyrate in PALS, but we cannot yet recommend one as a treatment.

Keywords: ALS; alternative therapy; butyrate; gut microbiome; neuroinflammation.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* / drug therapy
Butyrates / therapeutic use
Humans

Substances

Butyrates