Bile acids participate in the intestinal emulsion, digestion, and absorption of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. When present in high concentrations, as in cholestatic liver diseases, bile acids can damage cells and cause inflammation. After the discovery of bile acids receptors about two decades ago, bile acids are considered signaling molecules. Besides regulating bile acid, xenobiotic, and nutrient metabolism, bile acids and their receptors have shown immunomodulatory properties and have been proposed as therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases of the liver. This review focuses on bile acid–related signaling pathways that affect inflammation in the liver and provides an overview of the preclinical and clinical applications of modulators of these pathways for the treatment of cholestatic and autoimmune liver diseases.

胆汁酸参与肠内乳化、消化和脂质及脂溶性维生素的吸收。当以高浓度存在时，如在胆汁淤积性肝病中，胆汁酸会损害细胞并引起炎症。大约二十年前发现胆汁酸受体后，胆汁酸被认为是信号分子。除了调节胆汁酸、外源物质和营养代谢外，胆汁酸及其受体还显示出免疫调节特性，并已被提议作为肝脏炎症性疾病的治疗靶点。本综述重点关注影响肝脏炎症的胆汁酸相关信号通路，并概述这些通路的调节剂在治疗胆汁淤积和自身免疫性肝病方面的临床前和临床应用。