MINI REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Gut Microbes and Their Metabolites in Metabolic Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic TargetsView all 31 articles
Bile Acid–Microbiota Interactions in Cardiometabolic Diseases: Mechanisms and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches
Provisionally accepted
Lihong Gong1,2*
Feiyu Chen1,2- 1Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China
- 2Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Shenyang, China
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The gut microbiota and bile acids co-regulate host metabolism through bidirectional interactions. This interaction critically influences the pathogenesis and progression of cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs), which include diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cardiovascular diseases. Growing evidence establishes bile acid metabolism as fundamental to the pathogenesis of CMDs. Bile acids activate both the nuclear receptor FXR and the membrane receptor TGR5, which in turn influence glucose and lipid metabolism, modulate inflammatory processes, and affect vascular functions. These signaling pathways collectively link metabolic and immune networks within the cardio-metabolic axis. This review provides an integrative overview of recent findings in bile acid signaling and and its cross-talk with metabolic and immune pathways in CMDs. It critically evaluates disease mechanisms, discusses therapeutic candidates targeting bile acid pathways, and highlights future directions for the precise management of metabolic-immune disorders.
Keywords: Bile acid metabolism, FXR, tgr5, Atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease
Received: 19 Aug 2025; Accepted: 18 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gong and Chen. 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: Lihong Gong, 986271030@qq.com
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