Regulation of antibacterial defense in the small intestine by the nuclear bile acid receptor

Decreased bile secretion in rodents by either ligation of the common bile duct or induction of cirrhosis causes changes in the small intestine, including bacterial overgrowth and translocation across the mucosal barrier. Oral administration of bile acids inhibits these effects. The genes regulated by FXR in ileum suggested that it might contribute to the enteroprotective actions of bile acids. To test this hypothesis, mice were administered either GW4064 or vehicle for 2 days and then subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL) or sham operation. After 5 days, during which GW4064 or vehicle treatment was continued, the mice were killed and their intestines were analyzed for FXR target gene expression.

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Inagaki T, Moschetta A, Lee YK, Peng L, Zhao G, Downes M, Yu RT, Shelton JM, Richardson JA, Repa JJ, Mangelsdorf DJ, Kliewer SA