The expanding role of the bile acid receptor farnesoid X in the intestine and its potential clinical implications.

Knowledge about the role of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in the intestine is rapidly expanding. In pre-clinical animal models of inflammatory bowel disease and bile duct ligation, FXR activation has proven to directly target the three pillars of intestinal homeostasis: intestinal permeability, inflammation and bacterial translocation. The protective role of FXR-ligands on this homeostasis has implications for many intestinal pathologies like inflammatory bowel disease, ischemia reperfusion injury, the metabolic syndrome, colon cancer and even diarrhea. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which FXR-activation exerts these protective effects and we discuss its potential clinical applications.