Cancer Informatics · Published 2026-07-01 · DOI 10.1177/11769351261472440
Haiyan Yu, Haiyan Fu, Jiamin Xu, Yina Yang, Xin Ai, Rongfang Tu, Weimin Bao, Yingmei Tang
Objective Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune cholestatic liver disease, and the effects of p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) and p-cresyl glucuronide (PCG) in PBC remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory effects of PCS and PCG. Methods Human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells (HIBEpiCs) were treated with PCS or PCG, and apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Female C57BL/6 mice received intraperitoneal PCS or PCG. Liver inflammation was evaluated by H&E staining, apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2) by Western blotting, and serum TGF-β and IFN-γ by ELISA. Results PCS and PCG increased apoptosis in HIBEpiCs. In vivo , PCS and PCG treated mice displayed portal lymphocytic infiltration and elevated serum IFN-γ and TGF-β. Hepatic caspase-3 and Bax were upregulated, whereas Bcl-2 was downregulated in a time-dependent manner. Conclusions PCS and PCG promote intrahepatic inflammation and BEC apoptosis, suggesting that gut microbial metabolites may contribute to hepatobiliary immune injury.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Yu, H., Fu, H., Xu, J., et al. (2026). Clostridium -Derived p-Cresyl Metabolites Induce Inflammation and Apoptosis in Biliary Epithelial Cells. Cancer Informatics. https://doi.org/10.1177/11769351261472440