Vitamin D deficiency disrupts a host–microbiota bile acid axis in aged mice to drive Faecalibaculum rodentium expansion and intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction

ABSTRACT: This study investigated how vitamin D deficiency alters the fecal metabolome and bile acid metabolism in mice and evaluated the contribution of Faecalibaculum rodentium bile salt hydrolase activity to intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction. Two complementary mouse experiments were included. In the first experiment, 18-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed either a vitamin D-sufficient diet containing 1,000 IU/kg vitamin D3 or a vitamin D-deficient diet containing 0 IU/kg vitamin D3 for 16 weeks. Fecal samples from the aged vitamin D-sufficient and vitamin D-deficient groups were analyzed by untargeted UHPLC-MS/MS metabolomics to characterize vitamin D deficiency-associated metabolic changes. In the second experiment, antibiotic-treated male C57BL/6J mice were assigned to control, Faecalibaculum rodentium gavage, or Faecalibaculum rodentium plus the gut-restricted bile salt hydrolase inhibitor GR-7 groups. Fecal bile acids were analyzed using targeted UPLC-MRM-MS/MS in negative ion mode to determine whether Faecalibaculum rodentium-induced bile acid remodeling was dependent on microbial bile salt hydrolase activity. Together, these datasets characterize a vitamin D–microbiota–bile acid axis associated with intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - negative - reverse-phase, Liquid Chromatography MS - positive - hilic, Liquid Chromatography MS - positive - reverse-phase, Liquid Chromatography MS - negative - hilic

PROVIDER: MTBLS15279 | MetaboLights | 2026-08-07

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights