Gut Microbiota Role in Liver Regeneration: Evidences and Novel Insights

Human pathophysiological status highly depends on microbiota activity; its presence is in fact necessary to a healthy development, as well as for backing up immune system in the defense from pathogens. Gut microbiota also acts as a metabolic player that takes part in host metabolism by partially regulating bile acids (BAs) metabolism, as well as farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signalling. In fact, if microbiota functions are totally or even partially impaired, its role in supporting both BAs and FXR pathways will be undermined too, resulting in a diminished liver regeneration function. Hepatic pathologies have been associated to impaired gut microbial diversity, that can trigger a positive feedback cycle that worsen liver injury and obstruct liver regeneration process. Alcoholic liver disease subjects were typically infected by Bacteroides species and expanded Proteobacteria ones. Thus, it can be inferred that an intimate relationship between microbiota, hepatic metabolism and injury as well as regeneration is standing. Within this complex scenario, it is not surprising that the gut-liver axis could be also part of the regenerative mechanisms that, under certain circumstances, occur within the hepatic environment. This opinion paper aims to put together some of the evidences related to this thesis in order to consolidate it and give new insights about it