REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Nutritional Immunology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1630310
This article is part of the Research TopicHost-Microbiota Interactions in IBD: Immune Modulation and Barrier FunctionView all articles
Succinate Metabolism: Underlying Biological Mechanisms and Emerging Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Provisionally accepted
- Zhangjiagang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, China
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The global incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continues to rise, yet its precise pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. In recent years, various gut microbiota-derived metabolites have been implicated in the development of IBD. Among them, succinic acid is a key metabolite produced by intestinal flora and serves as a central intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which plays a pivotal role in the IBD pathogenesis by modulating the intestinal mucosal barrier function, immune-metabolic reprogramming and cellular energy homeostasis. Abnormal succinate metabolism has also been linked to a range of metabolic disorders, including hepatitis, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, its role in IBD has attracted growing interest. This review systematically elucidates the mechanisms by which succinate promotes pro-inflammatory immune phenotypes through a multifaceted network involving macrophage polarization, T-cell metabolic reprogramming, and epithelial-immune cell interactions, largely mediated via the SUCNR1 signaling axis. Furthermore, we explore the therapeutic potential of targeting succinate metabolism, offering new insights into IBD prevention and treatment.
Keywords: Succinic Acid, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal flora, SUCNR1, HIF-1α, Immunometabolism
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dai, Bu and Miao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhiwei Miao, Zhangjiagang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, China
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