Preservation of conjugated primary bile acids by oxygenation of the small intestinal microbiota .

Unlabelled: Bile acids play a critical role in the emulsification of dietary lipids, a critical step in the primary function of the small intestine, which is the digestion and absorption of food. Primary bile acids delivered into the small intestine are conjugated to enhance functionality, in part, by increasing aqueous solubility and preventing passive diffusion of bile acids out of the gut lumen. Bile acid function can be disrupted by the gut microbiota via the deconjugation of primary bile acids by bile salt hydrolases (BSHs), leading to their conversion into secondary bile acids through the expression of bacterial bile acid-inducible genes, a process often observed in malabsorption due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.