Multi-omics identifies microbiota-derived deoxycholic acid as a key mediator of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in...

The gut microbiota derived from Parkinson's disease patients, enriched in Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis) and Phocaeicola vulgatus (P. vulgatus), may promote the elevations of deoxycholic acid, iso-deoxycholic acid, and ursodeoxycholic acid levels in the systemic circulation. The increased serum bile acids, in turn, contribute to the endothelial cell death and pericyte injury possibly through activating interferon alpha response and TGF-β signaling pathways at the blood-brain barrier in the midbrain, ultimately leading to the neurodegeneration and motor deficits in the germ-free mice.