However, acetate-treated mice had slightly increased serum levels of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 (46 ± 10 μg/ml) and of the chemokines MIP-2 (CXCL2; 53 ± 4 μg/ml) and MCP-1 (CCL2; 590 ± 80 μg/ml) compared to PBS-treated mice 6 h after infection, probably as a consequence of the GPR43-dependent boost of anti-infective host defense (Fig. 6a). This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and infection.