Bile Acid Receptors and Signaling Crosstalk in the Liver, Gut and Brain

Overview

Journal Liver Res

Date 2025 Feb 17

PMID 39957847

Authors

Jessica M Ferrell

John Y L Chiang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Bile acids are physiological detergents derived from cholesterol that aid in digestion and nutrient absorption, and they play roles in glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism and in gut microbiome and metabolic homeostasis. Bile acids mediate crosstalk between the liver and gut through bactericidal modulation of the gut microbiome, while gut microbes influence the composition of the circulating bile acid pool. Recent research indicates bile acids may also be important mediators of neurological disease by acting as peripheral signaling molecules that activate bile acid receptors in the blood-brain barrier and in the brain itself. This review highlights the role of bile acids in maintaining liver and gut microbe homeostasis, as well as their function as mediators of cellular signaling in the liver-gut-brain axis.

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