Serum proteome profiling provides a deep understanding of the 'gut-liver axis' in relation to liver injury and regeneration

The gut-liver axis is one of the major contributors to the transport of products from the intestine or intestinal microbes with the progression of liver regeneration. However, the influence of proteins from the hepatic portal vein (HPV), the bridge of enterohepatic circulation, on liver regeneration is unclear. For first time, we applied a quantitative proteomics approach to characterize the molecular pathology of the HPV sera of mice with antibiotic-induced intestinal flora disorder during acute liver injury. The biological processes of lipid metabolism and wound healing were enriched in the HPV of mice with intestinal flora disorder, whereas energy metabolism, liver regeneration, and cytoskeletal processes were downregulated. Moreover, 95 and 35 proteins potentially promoting or inhibiting liver regeneration, respectively, were identified in HPV serum. Our findings will be beneficial to liver donors during liver transplantation.