The intestine and cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of review: A review of recent publications demonstrating the important role of the intestine in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

Recent findings: At baseline (≥ 6 months since myocardial infarction), the pattern of fecal microbiota and blood LPS levels after a meal predicted risk for new major adverse cardiovascular events over the next 7 years. In intestine, tryptophan is metabolized primarily by the kynurenine pathway, which is regulated by the enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1). Tryptophan flow into the kynurenine pathway limits its availability for the formation of microbiota-derived indole derivatives including butyrate, and limits availability of tryptophan for the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT or serotonin) pathway. Feeding Ldlr-/- mice a high-fat high-cholesterol diet (HFD+HCD) increased intestinal IDO1 activity, decreased levels of tryptophan, fecal butyrate, and 5-HT. Ldlr-/- mice deficient in intestinal Ido1 (Ldlr-/-Ido1-/-) on HFD+HCD had increased intestinal levels of 5-HT, increased gut permeability, increased gut inflammation, increased LPS, and increased aortic atherosclerosis. Ldlr-/- mice fed HFD+HCD and treated with a 5-HT pathway inhibitor had increased fecal indole levels, improved gut-barrier, increased antimicrobial peptide levels, and decreased aortic atherosclerosis without a change in plasma cholesterol.

Summary: These studies demonstrate the importance of microbiota-derived products and intestinal tryptophan metabolism in atherosclerosis.