Crohn's disease is characterized with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which shows the occurrence of nonspecific granuloma necrosis in the whole alimentary canal, from the oral cavity to the anus. It causes the formation of ulcers, cracks, and fissures by irritating mucosal membrane. The possible outcomes are abscess, intestinal obstruction, bowel perforation, and enterocutaneous fistula if the condition worsens. In general, it includes the symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, appetite loss, slight fever, and enterohemorrhage. So far, the causes of Crohn's disease have not been identified, but are considered to be attributable to mixtures of environmental and genetic factors. Crohn's disease continues to cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract to the point where, even the immune response factor of a viral or bacterial infection disappears due to the activation of the immune system, which consequently will cause the loss of immune system. Crohn's disease is related to intestinal microbiome. Patients have less 'Faecalibacterium prausnitzii' bacteria, whereas the adherent invasive Escherichia coli count tends to be increased. Soluble dietary fiber suppresses the adhesion and invasion of Crohn's disease-related harmful bacteria to the intestinal wall. Butyrate, derived from soluble dietary fiber, provides the fundamental ingredient for treating Crohn's disease due to its anti-inflammatory efficacy. Therefore, we suggest butyrate as the substance for more effective and safe treatment of the disease to increase immune function without the presence of side effects. (Cancer Prev Res 17, 1-186, 2012)

Keywords: Crohn's disease, Microbiome, Butyrate, Proinflammatory cytokine, Nuclear factor-kappa B