{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T21:09:20Z","timestamp":1792789760757,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791417600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007783","name":"Hanyang University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["HY-202300000003034"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HY-202300000003034"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007783","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["HY-202300000003034"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["HY-202300000003034"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/046865y68","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Seoul ANCHOR Center","award":["2026-ANCHOR-01-027-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2026-ANCHOR-01-027-01"]}]},{"name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","award":["RS-2023-00217123"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2023-00217123"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/013aysd81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["RS-2023-00217123"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2023-00217123"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/013aysd81","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease, and its global incidence continues to increase. MASLD can progress from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, effective preventive and therapeutic options remain limited. In this study, obeticholic acid (OCA) and the probiotic mixture VSL#3 were co-administered to a mouse model of MASLD to modulate gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. Methods: Male C57BL\/6 mice were fed a WD to induce MASLD and treated with OCA, VSL#3, or both. Gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, bile acid (BA) composition was assessed by LC\u2013MS\/MS, hepatic and intestinal gene expression was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry, and unconjugated OCA pharmacokinetics (PK) were evaluated. Results: VSL#3-containing groups showed differences in selected taxa with reported bile salt hydrolase (BSH) potential and in BA composition, including a numerical shift toward higher levels of deconjugated BAs. Co-administration of OCA and VSL#3 was accompanied by lower hepatic steatosis, numerically favorable serum markers of liver injury, and lower cholesterol and total bilirubin levels. In addition, mice receiving VSL#3 showed numerically higher early plasma concentrations of unconjugated OCA. Lower intestinal ATP-binding cassette subfamily C member 2 (Abcc2) expression was also observed as a separate exploratory finding. Conclusions: The co-administration of VSL#3 with OCA was accompanied by exploratory differences in selected biological parameters and early-phase unconjugated OCA exposure. Lower intestinal Abcc2\/Mrp2 expression was observed as a separate exploratory finding, and no functional relationship between intestinal transporter expression and OCA pharmacokinetics was established.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18193296","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T11:26:53Z","timestamp":1791458813000},"page":"3296","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["VSL#3 Co-Administration Is Associated with Altered Early-Phase Obeticholic Acid Exposure in MASLD Mice"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5422-6107","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"A-Hyeon","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Nucleic Acid Therapies at the Department of Chemistry Institute for Chemical Epigenetics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t M\u00fcnchen, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 M\u00fcnchen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9635-2921","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seung Min","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hanyang Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"In Young","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gye Ryeol","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8282-852X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hye Hyun","family":"Yoo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pharmacomicrobiomics Research Center and College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University,Ansan 15588, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5720-5934","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jun Sang","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8935-7414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyun Sung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9224-5125","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ji-Hee","family":"Shin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group of Personalized Diet, Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Young-Do","family":"Nam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Group of Personalized Diet, Korea Food Research Institute, Wanju-gun 55365, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eileen Laurel","family":"Yoon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2875-6139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dae Won","family":"Jun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"827","DOI":"10.3350\/cmh.2022.0068","article-title":"Auranofin attenuates hepatic 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