Gut-liver axis calibrates intestinal stem cell fitness. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38280375/)

These scientists wanted to understand how the gut and liver communicate with each other and how this communication affects the health of the intestines. They did a special surgery called hepatectomy on some animals and studied the genes and proteins in their intestines. They discovered a substance called pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) that is produced by the liver and helps control the growth of stem cells in the intestines. These stem cells are important for maintaining a healthy gut. The scientists also found that when there is inflammation in the intestines, the liver can sense danger signals from the harmful bacteria and stop producing PEDF. This allows the stem cells to grow faster and repair the damaged tissue. The scientists also tested a medicine called fenofibrate, which is used to treat high cholesterol, and found that it can make the intestines more susceptible to inflammation because it affects the activity of PEDF. This study shows that PEDF plays an important role in keeping the intestines healthy by controlling the growth of stem cells, and that the gut and liver have a special way of talking to each other to maintain gut balance.

Kim G., Chen Z., Li J., Luo J., Castro-Martinez F., Wisniewski J., Cui K., Wang Y., Sun J., Ren X., Crawford SE., Becerra SP., Zhu J., Liu T., Wang S., Zhao K., Wu C. Gut-liver axis calibrates intestinal stem cell fitness. Cell. 2024 Jan 22:S0092-8674(24)00003-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.001.