Select Publications

A selection of our research published in leading journals including Cell Metabolism, Nature Communications, and Cell Host & Microbe.

Cell Metabolism2025Featured

Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology

Li R, Li Y, Jiang K, Zhang L, et al.

Revealed functional diversity of arginine metabolism in physiology and pathology using novel metabolic approaches.

arginine metabolismmetabolomicsphysiologypathology

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Protein & Cell2025reviewFeatured

Investigating regional-specific gut microbial distribution: an uncharted territory in disease therapeutics

Kuang J, Zheng X, Jia W

Comprehensive review on regional gut microbial distribution and its therapeutic implications.

gut microbiomeregional distributiontherapeuticsreview

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Cell Metabolism2024Featured

Gut bacteria-driven homovanillic acid alleviates depression by modulating synaptic integrity

Zhao M, Ren Z, Zhao A, Tang Y, et al.

Discovered gut bacteria-derived homovanillic acid alleviates depression by protecting synaptic integrity (78 citations).

gut-brain axisdepressionhomovanillic acidsynaptic integrity

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Cell Reports Medicine2024Featured

Increased intestinal bile acid absorption contributes to age-related cognitive impairment

Ren Z, Zhao L, Zhao M, Bao T, et al.

Revealed increased intestinal bile acid absorption contributes to age-related cognitive decline (37 citations).

bile acidscognitive impairmentaginggut-brain axis

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Nature Communications2024Featured

Metabolic phenotyping reveals an emerging role of ammonia abnormality in Alzheimer's disease

Chen T, Pan F, Huang Q, Xie G, et al.

Discovered emerging role of ammonia abnormality in Alzheimer's disease (31 citations).

Alzheimer's diseaseammoniametabolomicsneurodegeneration

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Science China Life Sciences2024reviewFeatured

Bile acid signaling in the regulation of whole body metabolic and immunological homeostasis

Jia W, Li Y, Cheung KCP, Zheng X

Comprehensive review on bile acid signaling in metabolic and immune regulation (128 citations).

bile acidsmetabolismimmunologyhomeostasis

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Advanced Science2024Featured

Serum bile acids improve prediction of Alzheimer's progression in a sex-dependent manner

Chen T, Wang L, Xie G, Kristal BS, et al.

Serum bile acids predict Alzheimer's progression with sex-specific patterns (21 citations).

Alzheimer's diseasebile acidsbiomarkerssex differences

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Cell Metabolism2024Featured

Targeting gut microbial nitrogen recycling and cellular uptake of ammonium to improve bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma

Zhu Y, Jian X, Chen S, An G, et al.

Targeting gut microbial nitrogen recycling improves bortezomib resistance in myeloma (30 citations).

multiple myelomagut microbiomenitrogen metabolismdrug resistance

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Cell Host & Microbe2024Featured

Zinc promotes microbial p-coumaric acid production that protects against cholestatic liver injury

Li D, Wan M, Xue L, Zhang Z, et al.

Zinc promotes microbial p-coumaric acid production protecting against cholestatic liver injury (9 citations).

zincgut microbiomep-coumaric acidcholestatic liver injury

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Gut Microbes2024

Metabolome-associated psychological comorbidities improvement in irritable bowel syndrome patients receiving a probiotic

Martin FP, Cominetti O, Berger B, Combremont S, et al.

Probiotic improves psychological comorbidities in IBS through metabolome changes (22 citations).

IBSprobioticsmetabolomepsychological comorbidities

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Microbiome2024

Dietary ellagic acid therapy for CNS autoimmunity: Targeting on Alloprevotella rava and propionate metabolism

Han B, Shi L, Bao MY, Yu FL, et al.

Ellagic acid therapy for CNS autoimmunity through gut microbiome modulation (47 citations).

ellagic acidCNS autoimmunitygut microbiomepropionate

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The Journal of Clinical Investigation2024Featured

A Clostridia-rich microbiota enhances bile acid excretion in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

Zhao L, Yang W, Chen Y, Huang F, et al.

Clostridia-rich microbiota enhances bile acid excretion in diarrhea-predominant IBS (181 citations).

IBS-DClostridiabile acidsgut microbiome

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Cell Metabolism2023Featured

Hyodeoxycholic acid alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through modulating the gut-liver axis

Kuang J, Wang J, Li Y, Li M, et al.

Hyodeoxycholic acid alleviates NAFLD through gut-liver axis modulation (223 citations).

bile acidsNAFLDgut-liver axishyodeoxycholic acid

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Nature Communications2023Featured

Hyodeoxycholic acid ameliorates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by inhibiting RAN-mediated PPARα nucleus-cytoplasm shuttling

Zhong J, He X, Gao X, Liu Q, et al.

HDCA ameliorates NAFLD by inhibiting RAN-mediated PPARα shuttling (93 citations).

HDCANAFLDPPARαRAN

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Nature Communications2023Featured

Gut microbiota-derived tryptamine and phenethylamine impair insulin sensitivity in metabolic syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome

Zhai L, Xiao H, Lin C, Wong HLX, et al.

Gut-derived tryptamine and phenethylamine impair insulin sensitivity (83 citations).

gut microbiometryptamineinsulin sensitivitymetabolic syndrome

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Cell Host & Microbe2023Featured

Effects of vaginal microbiota transfer on the neurodevelopment and microbiome of cesarean-born infants: a blinded randomized controlled trial

Zhou L, Qiu W, Wang J, Zhao A, et al.

Vaginal microbiota transfer affects neurodevelopment in cesarean-born infants (100 citations).

vaginal microbiotacesareanneurodevelopmentinfants

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Molecular Therapy2023

Gut microbial metabolite hyodeoxycholic acid targets the TLR4/MD2 complex to attenuate inflammation and protect against sepsis

Li J, Chen Y, Li R, Zhang X, et al.

HDCA targets TLR4/MD2 to attenuate inflammation and protect against sepsis (61 citations).

HDCATLR4inflammationsepsis

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EBioMedicine2023

Circular-SWAT for deep learning based diagnostic classification of Alzheimer's disease: application to metabolome data

Jo T, Kim J, Bice P, Huynh K, et al.

Deep learning diagnostic classification of Alzheimer's using metabolome data (9 citations).

Alzheimer's diseasedeep learningmetabolomicsdiagnostics

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Nature Communications2022Featured

Gut microbiota-bile acid crosstalk contributes to the rebound weight gain after calorie restriction in mice

Li M, Wang S, Li Y, Zhao M, et al.

Revealed mechanism behind weight regain after dieting through gut-bile acid interactions (161 citations).

gut microbiotabile acidsweight regaincalorie restriction

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Nature Communications2022Featured

Blocking glycine utilization inhibits multiple myeloma progression by disrupting glutathione balance

Xia J, Zhang J, Wu X, Du W, et al.

Blocking glycine utilization inhibits multiple myeloma progression (70 citations).

multiple myelomaglycineglutathionecancer metabolism

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Advanced Science2022Featured

Bile acid-microbiome interaction promotes gastric carcinogenesis

Wang S, Kuang J, Zhang H, Chen W, et al.

Bile acid-microbiome interaction promotes gastric carcinogenesis (89 citations).

bile acidsgastric cancergut microbiomecarcinogenesis

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Microbiome2022Featured

Altered gut metabolites and microbiota interactions are implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis and can be non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers

Coker OO, Liu C, Wu WKK, Wong SH, et al.

Gut metabolites as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer (214 citations).

colorectal cancergut metabolitesbiomarkersmicrobiome

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Cell Metabolism2021Featured

Hyocholic acid species improve glucose homeostasis through a distinct TGR5 and FXR signaling mechanism

Zheng X, Chen T, Jiang R, Zhao A, et al.

Hyocholic acid species improve glucose homeostasis through TGR5 and FXR signaling (389 citations).

bile acidsglucose homeostasisTGR5FXR

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Nature Communications2021Featured

Hyocholic acid species as novel biomarkers for metabolic disorders

Zheng X, Chen T, Zhao A, Ning Z, et al.

Established hyocholic acid species as novel biomarkers for metabolic disorders (135 citations).

bile acidsbiomarkersmetabolic disordershyocholic acid

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EBioMedicine2021Featured

Conjugated secondary 12α-hydroxylated bile acids promote liver fibrogenesis

Xie G, Jiang R, Wang X, Liu P, et al.

Conjugated secondary 12α-hydroxylated bile acids promote liver fibrogenesis (108 citations).

bile acidsliver fibrosis12α-hydroxylated

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Gut Microbes2021Featured

Desulfovibrio vulgaris, a potent acetic acid-producing bacterium, attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in mice

Hong Y, Sheng L, Zhong J, Tao X, et al.

Desulfovibrio vulgaris attenuates NAFLD through acetic acid production (254 citations).

Desulfovibrio vulgarisacetic acidNAFLDgut microbiome

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Microbiome2021Featured

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids attenuate hyperglycemia through the microbiome-gut-organs axis in db/db mice

Zhuang P, Li H, Jia W, Shou Q, et al.

EPA and DHA attenuate hyperglycemia through microbiome-gut-organs axis (152 citations).

EPADHAomega-3hyperglycemia

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Protein & Cell2021

Gut microbiota alterations are distinct for primary colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma

Jia W, Rajani C, Xu H, Zheng X

Distinct gut microbiota alterations in colorectal cancer vs HCC (102 citations).

gut microbiomecolorectal cancerhepatocellular carcinoma

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Protein & Cell2021reviewFeatured

Targeting the alternative bile acid synthetic pathway for metabolic diseases

Jia W, Wei M, Rajani C, Zheng X

Review on targeting alternative bile acid pathway for metabolic diseases (289 citations).

bile acidsmetabolic diseasestherapeutic target

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