Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 1;81(1):19-31.
doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000938. Epub 2024 May 28.

An integrated analysis of bile acid metabolism in humans with severe obesity

Ömrüm Aydin  1   2 , Annika Wahlström  3 , Patrick A de Jonge  1   2 , Abraham S Meijnikman  1   2 , Wilhelm Sjöland  3 , Lisa Olsson  3 , Marcus Henricsson  3 , Marcus C de Goffau  1   2 , Stijn Oonk  4 , Sjoerd C Bruin  5 , Yair I Z Acherman  5 , Hanns-Ulrich Marschall  3 , Victor E A Gerdes  1   2   5   6 , Max Nieuwdorp  1   2 , Fredrik Bäckhed  3   7 , Albert K Groen  1   2
Affiliations

An integrated analysis of bile acid metabolism in humans with severe obesity

Ömrüm Aydin et al. Hepatology. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Bile acids (BA) are vital regulators of metabolism. BAs are AQ6 secreted in the small intestine, reabsorbed, and transported back to the liver, where they can modulate metabolic functions. There is a paucity of data regarding the portal BA composition in humans. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by investigating portal BA composition and the relation with peripheral and fecal BA dynamics in conjunction with the gut microbiome.

Approach and results: Thirty-three individuals from the BARIA cohort were included. Portal plasma, peripheral plasma, and feces were collected. BA and C4 levels were measured employing mass spectrometry. FGF19 was measured using ELISA. Gut microbiota composition was determined through metagenomics analysis on stool samples. Considerable diversity in the portal BA composition was observed. The majority (n = 26) of individuals had a 9-fold higher portal than peripheral BA concentration. In contrast, 8 individuals showed lower portal BA concentration compared with peripheral and had higher levels of unconjugated and secondary BA in this compartment, suggesting more distal origin. The altered portal BA profile was associated with altered gut microbiota composition. In particular, taxa within Bacteroides were reduced in abundance in the feces of these individuals.

Conclusions: Characterization of the portal BA composition in relation to peripheral and fecal BA increased insight into the dynamics of BA metabolism in individuals with obesity. Peripheral BA composition was much more diverse due to microbial metabolism. About 24% of the portal samples was surprisingly low in total BA; the underlying mechanism requires further exploration.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Kuipers F, Bloks VW, Groen AK. Beyond intestinal soap - Bile acids in metabolic control. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2014;10:488–498.
    1. Hofmann AF. The continuing importance of bile acids in liver and intestinal disease. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:2647–2658.
    1. Russell DW. The enzymes, regulation, and genetics of bile acid synthesis. Annu Rev Biochem. 2003;72:137–174.
    1. Schwarz M, Lund EG, Russell DW. 7α‐hydroxylase enzymes in bile acid biosynthesis. Curr Opin Lipidol. 1998;9:113–118.
    1. Duane WC, Javitt NB. 27-Hydroxycholesterol: Production rates in normal human subjects. J Lipid Res. 1999;40:1194–1199.