Enterically derived high-density lipoprotein restrains liver injury through the portal vein

Intestinal HDL is hepatoprotective High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is important for cholesterol metabolism and may have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Although HDL is mainly produced by the liver, the intestine is also a source. Han et al. show in mice that intestinal HDL is not routed to the systemic circulation. Rather, in the form of HDL3, it is directly transported to the liver through the hepatic portal vein. There, it sequesters bacterial lipopolysaccharide from the gut that can trigger inflammation and liver damage. In various models of liver injury, loss of enteric HDL exacerbated pathology. By contrast, drugs elevating intestinal HDL improved disease outcomes. HDL3 is enriched in human portal venous blood, suggesting that enteric HDL may be targetable for the treatment of liver disease. Science , abe6729, this issue p. eabe6729