Importance of the gut microbiota in mice with a 'humanized' bile acid pool

Abstract

Bile acids are signaling mediators, enabling intricate communication between tissues and the gut microbiota, and are involved in the pathophysiology of several immune and metabolic disorders. In this commentary, we discuss the importance of the gut microbiota in the Cyp2c70 knock-out mice, which are considered as a promising 'humanized' experimental resource for studying bile acids and their role in pathological conditions. We also discuss how Cyp2c70-deficient mice contribute to enhancing the translatability of preclinical studies in murine models to humans.

Keywords: Bile acids; Cyp2c70; Gut microbiota; Hepatobiliary disease; Hydrophobicity; UDCA.