Guo, Z.; He, K.; Pang, K.; Yang, D.; Lyu, C.; Xu, H.; Wu, D. Exploring Advanced Therapies for Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Insights from the Gut Microbiota–Bile Acid–Immunity Network. Int. J. Mol. Sci.2024, 25, 4321.
Guo, Z.; He, K.; Pang, K.; Yang, D.; Lyu, C.; Xu, H.; Wu, D. Exploring Advanced Therapies for Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Insights from the Gut Microbiota–Bile Acid–Immunity Network. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 4321.
Guo, Z.; He, K.; Pang, K.; Yang, D.; Lyu, C.; Xu, H.; Wu, D. Exploring Advanced Therapies for Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Insights from the Gut Microbiota–Bile Acid–Immunity Network. Int. J. Mol. Sci.2024, 25, 4321.
Guo, Z.; He, K.; Pang, K.; Yang, D.; Lyu, C.; Xu, H.; Wu, D. Exploring Advanced Therapies for Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Insights from the Gut Microbiota–Bile Acid–Immunity Network. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 4321.
Abstract
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease characterized by immune-mediated injury to small bile ducts. Although PBC is an autoimmune disease, the results of traditional immunosuppressive therapy are disappointing. Nearly 40% of PBC patients do not respond to the first-line drug UDCA. Without appropriate intervention, PBC patients would eventually progress to liver cirrhosis and even death. There is an urgent need to develop new therapies. The gut-liver axis emphasizes the interconnection between the gut and the liver, and there is increasing evidence that gut microbiota and bile acids play an important role in cholestatic diseases. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota, imbalance of bile acids, and immune-mediated bile duct injury constitute the triad of pathophysiology in PBC. Understanding the gut microbiota-bile acid network and corresponding immune functions in PBC provides a new perspective for its treatment strategies. Therefore, we summarize the latest advancements in research of gut microbiota and bile acids in PBC and, for the first time, explore the potential of immune factors related to them as novel immunotherapy targets. This article discusses potential therapeutic approaches focusing on regulating gut microbiota, maintaining bile acid homeostasis, their interactions, and related immune factors.
Keywords
primary biliary cholangitis; gut microbiota; bile acid
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
