REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Hepatobiliary Diseases
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1535355
This article is part of the Research TopicDeciphering Microbial Metabolites: Their Impact on Gastrointestinal and Metabolic HealthView all 9 articles
Advances in Research on the Role of Gut Microbiota in the Pathogenesis and Precision Management of Gallstone Disease
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
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Gallstone disease remains a prevalent global gastrointestinal condition with a rising incidence, posing substantial challenges to healthcare systems and public health initiatives. Advances in multi-omics and sequencing technologies have illuminated the pivotal role of gut microbiota in its pathogenesis, progression, and management. This article reviews the disrupted microbiota profiles observed in patients with gallstone disease and their connection to the metabolic pathways involved in gallstone formation, particularly focusing on cholesterol metabolism, bile acid dynamics, and inflammatory pathways. It also discusses the enduring impacts of cholecystectomy on gut microbial functions and their metabolic implications. Novel strategies targeting gut microbiota, including probiotics, microbial metabolite supplementation, dietary adjustments, integrative medicine, and emerging microbial therapies, present promising avenues for precise treatment. Furthermore, this review underscores the value of future research into multi-omics integration, microbiome engineering, and global collaborations, advocating for interdisciplinary and personalized approaches to gallstone management. However, unresolved challenges, such as ensuring stable colonization of functional microbiota, refining tailored therapeutic strategies, and assessing long-term outcomes, warrant further investigation. This work aims to provide a comprehensive resource for understanding gallstone disease within a microecological framework, supporting the development of precision medicinebased prevention and treatment paradigms.
Keywords: gallstone, Gut Microbiota, Cholecystectomy, Bile acid metabolism, Microbiomebased therapies
Received: 27 Nov 2024; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jia and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yahui Liu, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
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