Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40821794›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2025

Interplay between bile acids, gut microbiota, and the tumor immune microenvironment: mechanistic insights and therapeutic strategies.

Yan Tong, Xiaojun Lou

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

39 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Gut Microbial Topology and Metabolic Signatures Associated With Colorectal Neoplasia.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Yan TongJiaxing University Master Degree Cultivation Base, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Xiaojun LouDepartment of Gastroenterology, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The interplay between the gut microbiota, bile acid (BA) metabolism, and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is a critical and rapidly advancing field in cancer immunology. Microbiota-transformed bile acids act as pivotal signaling molecules. This review systematically dissects how these BAs engage host receptors (e.g., FXR, TGR5, VDR, S1PR2) to influence the differentiation and activity of key innate (macrophages, NK cells, MDSCs, DCs) and adaptive (CD8+ T cells, Tregs, Th1/Th17 cells) immune cell populations within the TIME. We underscore that dysregulation of this microbiota-BA-immune axis, prevalent in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers, frequently cultivates a pro-inflammatory, immunosuppressive TIME, thereby facilitating tumor immune evasion and progression. In light of this, we examine emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at reprogramming this axis, including pharmacological BA receptor modulation, microbiota-based interventions (e.g., engineered microbes, FMT, dietary strategies), and their synergistic potential with established cancer treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors. Finally, this review addresses significant challenges in clinical translation, including inherent axis complexity, inter-individual variability, and methodological hurdles. Future directions highlighted include tackling heterogeneity, employing advanced multi-omics, and developing robust biomarkers for precision immuno-oncology. Unraveling this complex immunometabolic network is crucial for identifying novel diagnostic tools and advancing next-generation cancer immunotherapies.

Indexed as

Bile Acids and SaltsGastrointestinal MicrobiomeNeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentAnimalsHumansBile Acids and Saltsbile acidscancer immunotherapygut microbiotaimmunometabolismtumor immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40821794
PMCPMC12354525

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.