Urolithin A activates gut repair pathway in Louisville study — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- University of Louisville researchers led by Venkatakrishna Rao Jala found that urolithin A (UroA), a microbial metabolite produced when gut bacteria digest pomegranates, walnuts, and berries, activates a protective pathway in intestinal epithelial cells.
- The study, published in Nature Communications, shows UroA selectively activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in intestinal cells, which triggers the NLRP6 inflammasome — a system typically linked to damaging inflammation.
- Once activated, NLRP6 prompted release of molecules that repaired the gut lining, reinforced the intestinal barrier, increased protective mucus production, and strengthened antimicrobial defenses rather than driving further inflammation.
- Lead investigator Sweta Ghosh said the findings show "not all inflammatory pathways are harmful" — under the right conditions and in the right cells, they support tissue repair and gut maintenance.
- The team validated the mechanism using cell studies, organoid models, and intestinal tissue samples from IBD patients, where UroA activated the same protective pathway observed in the lab experiments.
- The researchers say this is the first study to show how a natural microbial product works with the body's own response systems to regulate intestinal injury, suggesting future IBD treatments could target specific pathways in selected cells rather than broadly suppressing the immune system.
Why it matters: Current IBD treatments broadly suppress the immune system, often leaving patients vulnerable to infections and other side effects. This study pins down a specific molecular mechanism — AHR-NLRP6 activation by urolithin A in intestinal epithelial cells — that repairs the gut lining and reinforces the barrier, pointing toward precision therapies for the millions of people living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Ask SkimNews
