ArticleBMC gastroenterology2018
Taurocholic acid is an active promoting factor, not just a biomarker of progression of liver cirrhosis: evidence from a human metabolomic study and in vitro experiments.
Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- Alterations in Circulating Bile Acids in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Biomolecules · 2023Pooled it
- Predictive value of serum bile acids as metabolite biomarkers for liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2022Pooled it
- Liver- and Immune-Enriched Molecular Signatures Associated With Mortality in Older Adults.Aging cell · 2026Article
- Article
- Chronic liver diseases aggravate radiation-induced intestinal injury through taurocholic acid dysregulation.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- A metabolite-augmented FIB-4 machine learning panel achieves superior liver fibrosis staging in chronic liver disease.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- Taurocholic Acid Is Associated With Disturbed Functional Connectivity in the Hippocampus of Patients With Depression.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Observational
- Nomogram Using Taurocholic Acid, Age, and Albumin to Predict HBV-Related Cirrhosis/HCC in CHB Patients.Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma · 2026Article
- [Bile acid metabolism and the occurrence and development of primary liver cancer].Zhonghua gan zang bing za zhi = Zhonghua ganzangbing zazhi = Chinese journal of hepatology · 2025Review
- Metabolomic profiles in serum uncover novel biomarkers in children with Williams-Beuren syndrome.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Fibrotic liver injury in biliary atresia: long-term implications.World journal of pediatric surgery · 2025Review
- The role of microbiota in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: mechanism of action and treatment strategy.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Review
- Bile Acid Composition and Transcriptome Analysis of the Liver and Small Intestine in Different Species.Metabolites · 2024Article
- Sex-specific effects of gut microbiome on shaping bile acid metabolism.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- Longitudinal metabolomics of human plasma reveal metabolic dynamics and predictive markers of antituberculosis drug-induced liver injury.Respiratory research · 2024Article
- Low sphingolipid levels predict poor survival in patients with alcohol-related liver disease.JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology · 2024Article
- The anticancer activity of bile acids in drug discovery and development.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- Loss of SLC27A5 Activates Hepatic Stellate Cells and Promotes Liver Fibrosis via Unconjugated Cholic Acid.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- The contributions of bacteria metabolites to the development of hepatic encephalopathy.Liver research (Beijing, China) · 2023Article
- Metabolomic profiling implicates mitochondrial and immune dysfunction in disease syndromes of the critically endangered black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis).Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies have indicated that bile acid is associated with progression of liver cirrhosis. However, the particular role of specific bile acid in the development of liver cirrhosis is not definite. The present study aims to identify the specific bile acid and explore its possible mechanisms in promoting liver cirrhosis.
methodsThirty two cirrhotic patients and 27 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Age, gender, Child-Pugh classification and serum of patients and volunteers were collected. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was utilized to determine concentrations of 12 bile acids in serum. Principal component analysis, fold change analysis and heatmap analysis were used to identify the most changed bile acid. And pathway analysis was used to identify the most affected pathway in bile acid metabolism. Spearman rank correlation analysis was employed to assess correlation between concentrations of bile acids and Child-Pugh classification. Hepatic stellate cells (LX-2) were cultured in DMEM. LX-2 cells were also co-cultured with HepG2 cells in the transwell chambers. LX-2 cells were treated with Na+/taurocholate in different concentrations. Western blot was used to evaluate the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), type I collagen, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in LX-2 cells.
resultsConcentrations of 12 bile acids in serum of patients and healthy volunteers were determined with LC-MS successively. Principal component analysis, fold change analysis and heatmap analysis identified taurocholic acid (TCA) to be the most changed bile acid. Pathway analysis showed that TCA biosynthesis increased significantly. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that concentration of TCA in serum of cirrhotic patients was positively associated with Child-Pugh classification. TCA increased the expression of α-SMA, type I collagen, and TLR4 in LX-2 cells. Moreover, the above effect was strengthened when LX-2 cells were co-cultured with HepG2 cells.
conclusionsIncreased TCA concentration in serum of liver cirrhotic patients is mainly due to increased bile acid biosynthesis. TCA is an active promoter of the progression of liver cirrhosis. TCA promoting liver cirrhosis is likely through activating hepatic stellate cells via upregulating TLR4 expression. TCA is a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of liver cirrhosis.
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