Study Offers Insights into Cardiovascular Disease by Mapping Organ Interactions

Irvine, Calif., May 27, 2025 — UC Irvine researchers provide the first complete “map” of how organs interact by exchanging metabolites during cardiovascular disease progression. They also challenge the long-standing belief that only the liver produces bile acids, showing that other organs contribute such metabolites during disease states.

“The study discovered how different organs in the body send and receive important metabolites, such as glucose, in both healthy and disease states,” says Hosung Bae, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow working in the Nutrient Metabolism & Disease Lab, led by Cholsoon Jang, PhD, an assistant professor biological chemistry. “Surprisingly, we found that in cardiovascular disease, many organs release substances called bile acids, which can cause inflammation in blood vessels.”

The findings appear in the May 27, 2025, issue of Cell in the paper, “Cross-organ metabolite production and consumption in healthy and atherogenic conditions.”

By closely examining cardiovascular disease, especially the type caused by high cholesterol and Western diets, the researchers reveal the unique contributions of different organs. These insights could lead to the development of organ-specific treatments or diagnostics tailored to individual patients’ metabolic profiles.

“We plan to explore how stopping bile acid production in specific organs could reduce inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk,” says co-author Sunhee Jung, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow.

Another co-author, Johnny Le, PhD, a recent graduate and Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) trainee, says the work “introduces an innovative method that can be used to track metabolite movement in real time between organs, paving the way for discoveries across many diseases, not just cardiovascular disease.”

About the UC Irvine School of Medicine

Each year, the UC Irvine School of Medicine educates more than 500 medical students and nearly 150 PhD and MS students. More than 750 residents and fellows are trained at the UCI Medical Center and affiliated institutions. The School of Medicine offers multiple MD, PhD and MS degrees, and students are encouraged to pursue an expansive range of interests and options. The UC Irvine School of Medicine is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Accreditation and ranks among the top 50 nationwide for research. For more information, visit medschool.uci.edu.