Fuel for colonocytes

MCQ on Primary Fuel for Colonocytes
Q) Primary fuel for colonocytes is
Answer: C. Butyrate

🔍 Explanation:
Butyrate is the primary fuel for colonocytes. It is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by the colonic flora when fermenting complex carbohydrates. The colonic epithelium and luminal bacteria form a crucial symbiotic relationship where bacteria produce butyrate, which provides essential nutrition to the colonocytes.

- **Antibiotics** disrupt this balance by reducing bacteria, leading to less butyrate, which negatively affects colonocyte function, often causing diarrhea.

🧠 Key Point: Butyrate, not glucose or lactate, is the key fuel for colonocytes, and its production relies on gut bacteria.

📘 Reference: NEET SS 2022 Paper