Reduction in hepatic secondary bile acids caused by short-term antibiotic-induced dysbiosis decreases mouse serum glucose and triglyceride levels

Antibiotic-caused changes in intestinal flora (dysbiosis) can have various effects on the host. Secondary bile acids produced by intestinal bacteria are ligands for specific nuclear receptors, which regulate glucose, lipid, and drug metabolism in the liver. The present study aimed to clarify the effect of changes in secondary bile acids caused by antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on the host physiology, especially glucose, lipid, and drug metabolism. After oral administration of non-absorbable antibiotics for 5 days, decreased amounts of secondary bile acid-producing bacteria in faeces and a reduction in secondary bile acid [lithocholic acid (LCA) and deoxycholic acid (DCA)] levels in the liver were observed. Serum glucose and triglyceride levels were also decreased, and these decreases were reversed by LCA and DCA supplementation. Quantitative proteomics demonstrated that the expression levels of proteins involved in glycogen metabolism, cholesterol, bile acid biosynthesis, and drug metabolism (Cyp2b10, Cyp3a25, and Cyp51a1) were altered in the liver in dysbiosis, and these changes were reversed by LCA and DCA supplementation. These results suggested that secondary bile acid-producing bacteria contribute to the homeostasis of glucose and triglyceride levels and drug metabolism in the host, and have potential as therapeutic targets for treating metabolic disease.