Lee, Chih-ChunKono, TatsuyoshiSyed, FarooqWeaver, Staci A.Sohn, PaulWu, WentingChang, GarrickLiu, JingSlak Rupnik, MarjanEvans-Molina, Carmella2025-01-222025-01-222024Lee CC, Kono T, Syed F, et al. Sodium butyrate prevents cytokine-induced β-cell dysfunction through restoration of stromal interaction molecule 1 expression and activation of store-operated calcium entry. FASEB J. 2024;38(15):e23853. doi:10.1096/fj.202302501RRhttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/45343Sodium butyrate (NaB) improves β-cell function in preclinical models of diabetes; however, the mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the impact of NaB on β-cell function and calcium (Ca2+) signaling using ex vivo and in vitro models of diabetes. Our results show that NaB significantly improved glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in islets from human organ donors with type 2 diabetes and in cytokine-treated INS-1 β cells. Consistently, NaB improved glucose-stimulated Ca2+ oscillations in mouse islets treated with proinflammatory cytokines. Because the oscillatory phenotype of Ca2+ in the β cell is governed by changes in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ levels, we explored the relationship between NaB and store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), a rescue mechanism that acts to refill ER Ca2+ levels through STIM1-mediated gating of plasmalemmal Orai channels. We found that NaB treatment preserved basal ER Ca2+ levels and restored SOCE in IL-1β-treated INS-1 cells. Furthermore, we linked these changes with the restoration of STIM1 levels in cytokine-treated INS-1 cells and mouse islets, and we found that NaB treatment was sufficient to prevent β-cell death in response to IL-1β treatment. Mechanistic experiments revealed that NaB mediated these beneficial effects in the β-cell through histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, iNOS suppression, and modulation of AKT-GSK-3 signaling. Taken together, these data support a model whereby NaB treatment promotes β-cell function and Ca2+ homeostasis under proinflammatory conditions through pleiotropic effects that are linked with maintenance of SOCE. These results also suggest a relationship between β-cell SOCE and gut microbiome-derived butyrate that may be relevant in the treatment and prevention of diabetes.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 InternationalCalciumDiabetesPancreatic β cellSodium butyrate (NaB)Store‐operated calcium entry (SOCE)Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1)Article