The key difference between butyrate and tributyrin is that butyrate compounds are produced via acid-base reactions where salts of butyrate are formed, whereas tributyrin is produced via the esterification method.
Butyrate and tributyrin are related compounds because they have a similar carbon backbone. However, these are two different compounds with different chemical and physical properties.
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Butyrate
3. What is Tributyrin
4. Butyrate vs Tributyrin in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Butyrate vs Tributyrin
Butyrate is the conjugate base of butyric acid. It forms from the removal of one proton from the carboxylic acid group in the butyric acid molecule. The most common compounds consisting of butyrate anion include sodium butyrate and calcium magnesium butyrate.
Sodium butyrate is a chemical compound having the chemical formula Na(C3H7COO). It is the sodium salt of butyric acid. This compound has different effects on cultured mammalian cells, which include the inhibition of proliferation, induction of differentiation, and induction of the repression of gene expression. Therefore, we can use this substance in laboratory applications.
Calcium magnesium butyrate is a supplement consisting of butyrate short-chain fatty acid combined with calcium and magnesium. It is mainly useful as a butyrate supplement. Furthermore, it is more stable than sodium butyrate. It also has more added benefits, such as increasing the nutrient content in the diet. Moreover, it is less hygroscopic. Therefore, the stability is increased.
Tributyrin is an organic compound having the chemical formula C15H26O6. It is a triglyceride that naturally occurs in butter. Moreover, it can be named as an ester consisting of butyric acid and glycerol. It is useful as an ingredient in making margarine, and it also occurs in butter. Therefore, we can describe it as a liquid fat with an acrid taste. Moreover, tributyrin is useful in microbiological laboratories in identifying the bacterium Moraxella catarrhalis.
This compound is a stable and rapidly absorbed prodrug of butyric acid. It can enhance the antiproliferative effects of dihydroxycholecalciferol in human colon cancer cells. The preferred IUPAC name of tributyrin is Propane-1,2,3-triyl tributanoate. It has a molar mass of 302.367 g/mol. It appears as an oily liquid with a bitter taste. The density of this liquid is 1.032 g/cm3. The melting point can be given as -75 degrees Celsius, and the boiling point ranges from 305 – 310 degrees Celsius. Moreover, it is insoluble in water.
Butyrate is a salt of butyric acid, while tributyrin is a prodrug of butyric acid. The chemical and physical properties of butyrate and tributyrin differ from each other, as well as their production methods. The key difference between butyrate and tributyrin is that butyrate compounds are produced via acid-base reactions where salts of butyrate are formed, whereas tributyrin is produced via the esterification method. In addition, butyrate has a molar mass of 88.11 g/mol, whereas tributyrin has a molar mass of 302.367 g/mol.
The below infographic presents the differences between butyrate and tributyrin in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Butyrate is the conjugate base of butyric acid while tributyrin is a prodrug of butyric acid, having the chemical formula C15H26O6. The key difference between butyrate and tributyrin is that butyrate compounds are produced via acid-base reactions where salts of butyrate are formed, whereas tributyrin is produced via the esterification method.
1. “Tributyrin.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
1. “Butyric acid acsv” By Calvero. – Selfmade with ChemDraw. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Tributyrin” By Edgar181 – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia