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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2026; 32(44): 117819
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117819
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117819
Emodin ameliorates cholestatic liver injury by regulating bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota in mice
Chen-Xi Wang, Xin Zhao, Yue-Fen Lou, Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200434, China
Li-Ming Wang, Zhi-Fei Fu, Li-Feng Han, State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Key Laboratory of TCM Chemistry and Analysis, Instrumental Analysis and Research Center, Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
Co-corresponding authors: Li-Feng Han and Yue-Fen Lou.
Author contributions: Wang CX designed the study, performed the experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript; Wang LM and Fu ZF provided technical support and helpful discussions; Zhao X and Han LF carefully modified the manuscript; Han LF and Lou YF supervised the experiments and contributed equally as co-corresponding authors; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by Shanghai Hongkou District Health and Wellness Committee Medical Research Project, No. Hongwei 2403-07; Shanghai Hongkou District Health and Wellness Committee Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Project, No. HKZYY-2025-35; Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Research Launch Special Project, No. sykyqd09701; Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Discipline Promotion Project, No. SY-XKZT-2024-1013; Shanghai 2023 “Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan” Biomedical Technology Support Special Project, No. 23S21900900; and National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82274362.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: The animal study was approved by the Laboratory Animal Care and Use Committee of the School of Medicine, Tongji University, No. TJBH16025101.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary material. The original data will be available upon reasonable request to the corresponding authors.
Corresponding author: Yue-Fen Lou, Chief Pharmacist, Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 1279 Sanmen Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200434, China. louyuefen@tongji.edu.cn
Received: December 23, 2025
Revised: January 29, 2026
Accepted: April 8, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 281 Days and 19.1 Hours
Revised: January 29, 2026
Accepted: April 8, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 281 Days and 19.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Our study revealed the beneficial effects of emodin (Emo) in alleviating cholestatic liver injury (CLI). Bile acid metabolism was altered during CLI, which was normalized by Emo. Emo altered gut microbiota composition. Fecal micro