Continuum of Host-Gut Microbial Co-metabolism: Host CYP3A4/3A7 Are Responsible for Tertiary Oxidations of Deoxycholate Species.

The gut microbiota modifies endogenous primary bile acids (BAs) to produce exogenous secondary BAs, which may be further metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs). Our primary aim was to examine how the host adapts to the stress of microbe-derived secondary BAs by CYPs-mediated oxidative modifications on the steroid nucleus. Five unconjugated tri-hydroxyl BAs that were structurally and/or biologically associated with deoxycholate (DCA) were determined in human biological samples by LC-MS/MS in combination with enzyme-digestion techniques. They were identified as DCA-19-ol, DCA-6β-ol, DCA-5β-ol, DCA-6α-ol, DCA-1β-ol and DCA-4β-ol based on matching with in-lab synthesized standards. Metabolic inhibition assays in human liver microsomes and recombinant CYP assays revealed that CYP3A4 and CYP3A7 were responsible for the regioselective oxidations of both DCA and its conjugated forms, glycodeoxycholate (GDCA) and taurodeoxycholate (TDCA). The modification of secondary BAs to tertiary BAs defines a host liver (primary BAs) - gut microbiota (secondary BAs) - host liver (tertiary BAs) axis. The regioselective oxidations of DCA, GDCA and TDCA by CYP3A4 and CYP3A7 may help eliminate host-toxic DCA species. The 19- and 4β-hydroxylation of DCA species demonstrated outstanding CYP3A7 selectivity and may be useful indicators of CYP3A7 activity.