ArticleBMC gastroenterology2020
Intestinal flora imbalance affects bile acid metabolism and is associated with gallstone formation.
Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 109 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between gallbladder disease and colorectal neoplasia: a meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Intestinal microbiota and biliary system diseases.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Pooled it
- Biliary Microbiota in Health and Disease: Clinical Implications in Lithiasis, Infection, and Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Micro- and Nanoplastics as Disruptors of Digestive and Hepatopancreatic Homeostasis: Insights into the Plastic-Gut-Liver Axis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Abdominal Pain After Bariatric Surgery and the Role of the Gut: A Review.Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders · 2026Review
- Gut Microbiota-Bile Acid Axis in Type 2 Diabetes-Associated Gallbladder Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Lactobacillus Taiwanensis Inhibits Gallstone Formation by Regulating Ileal Metabolism.Current microbiology · 2026Article
- Genetic association and potential mediators between age at menarche and cholelithiasis: a two-sample two-step bidirectional mendelian randomization study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Potential of lysine succinylation as a therapeutic target for gallstone formation: An insightful strategy.World journal of gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids in gallstones: mechanisms and intervention strategies.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Review
- Review
- Programmable probiotic consortium employ an oleic acid-inducible system to sense and degrade cholesterol in high-fat diet mice.Gut microbes · 2025Article
- Association between cardiometabolic index and gallstones: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2017-2020.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- The interaction between IL-17 and gut microbiota contributes to cholestatic liver disease in children.Microbiology (Reading, England) · 2025Article
- Characterization of Bile Microbiota in Patients With Obstructive Jaundice Associated With Biliary Tract Diseases.Clinical and translational gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Association of cardiometabolic index with gallstone disease and insulin resistance based on NHANES data.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Microbiota-Based Intervention Alleviates High-Fat Diet Consequences Through Host-Microbe Environment Remodeling.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Ruminococcus gnavus in the gut: driver, contributor, or innocent bystander in steatotic liver disease?The FEBS journal · 2025Review
- Sodium butyrate activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ to suppress lithogenic diet-induced cholesterol gallstones in mice.Food science and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Optimization of the cholesterol gallstone model in C57BL/6 mice and evaluation of Lactobacillus intervention effects.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe gut microbiota participates in the metabolism of substances and energy, promotes the development and maturation of the immune system, forms the mucosal barrier, and protects the host from pathogen attacks. Although the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones is still not clear, studies have suggested that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays an important role in their formation.
methodsMicrobial DNA from faeces of normal control patients and those of patients with calculi was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to detect gene expression changes in intestinal microbes. ELISA kits were used to measure free bile acids, secondary bile acids and coprostanol according to the manufacturer's instructions. The relationship between flora and their metabolites was then analysed.
resultsIn the gallstone group, the diversity of intestinal bacteria and the abundances of certain phylogroups were significantly decreased (p < 0.05), especially Firmicutes (p < 0.05), the largest phylum represented by the gut microbiota. This study found an increase in free bile acids (p < 0.001) and secondary bile acids (p < 0.01) in the enterohepatic circulation. Bile salt hydrolase activity was not related to the abundances of BSH-active bacteria. 7a-dehydroxylating gut bacteria were significantly increased (p < 0.01), whereas cholesterol-lowering bacteria were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). The Ruminococcus gnavus group could be used as a biomarker to distinguish the gallstone group from the control group.
conclusionWe conclude that intestinal flora imbalance affects bile acid and cholesterol metabolism and is associated with gallstone formation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.