WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions, filtered to mechanism.
Amyloid-beta (Aβ) is a 36–43 amino acid peptide derived from the proteolytic cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta-secretase (BACE1) and gamma-secretase. Its aggregation from soluble monomers into insoluble fibrillar plaques in the brain is the defining ne…
Bacteremia is the presence of viable bacteria in the bloodstream. In the WikiBiome framework, bacteremia results from bacterial translocation across compromised barriers — the gut epithelium (→ portal bacteremia) or the oral mucosa (→ systemic bacteremia during dental p…
The bacterial contamination hypothesis proposes that bacterial endotoxin (LPS) contamination of menstrual blood and endometrial tissue is a key driver of endometriosis pathogenesis. First formalized by Khan et al. (2018), this hypothesis shifts endometriosis from a pure…
A selective semipermeable border formed by brain endothelial cells connected by tight junctions, pericytes, and astrocytic end-feet. The BBB restricts passage of most molecules from blood to brain, protecting the CNS from toxins, pathogens, and inflammatory mediators. M…
Disruption of the normal composition and metabolic function of microbial communities, particularly the gut microbiome. In the metallomics context, dysbiosis is both a consequence of metal toxicity and an amplifier of further disease -- creating vicious cycles where meta…
Endothelial dysfunction is the impairment of the vascular endothelium's ability to produce nitric oxide (NO), regulate vascular tone, and prevent thrombosis. It is the earliest detectable stage of atherosclerosis and the mechanistic link between gut dysbiosis, systemic …
Endotoxemia is the presence of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) in the bloodstream. Metabolic endotoxemia — chronic, low-grade LPS translocation from the gut — is a central mechanism linking dysbiosis to systemic disease across dozens of conditions in this …
Gut barrier dysfunction -- colloquially "leaky gut" -- is the pathological increase in intestinal permeability that permits translocation of bacteria, bacterial products (LPS, peptidoglycan), metals, and dietary antigens from the gut lumen into the systemic circulation.…
The gut-penis axis is an emerging concept describing the systemic pathway by which gut microbiome dysbiosis impairs erectile function through endothelial nitric oxide (NO) suppression and chronic inflammation. Though less established than the gut-brain or gut-heart axes…
The gut-thyroid axis describes the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiome and the thyroid gland. The thyroid regulates metabolism, energy homeostasis, and immune function -- and the microbiome influences thyroid physiology at every level: mineral absorpt…
Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is an immune signaling protein that helps coordinate host responses at epithelial surfaces. In the gut evidence represented by WikiBiome, group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are a prominent source, while Th17-associated responses can also includ…
The intestinal epithelium is a single-cell-thick barrier separating the lumen -- home to trillions of microbes and ingested metals -- from the systemic circulation. When this barrier fails, the consequences cascade: microbial products translocate, metals gain unrestrict…
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also called endotoxin, is a major structural component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. When released into circulation through a compromised gut barrier, LPS triggers potent inflammatory signaling via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)…
Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, constituting 5-12% of all brain cells. They function as the brain's surveillance and defense system -- scanning for damage, clearing debris, pruning synapses during development, and mounting inflamma…
Mitochondrial dysfunction refers to the impairment of mitochondrial energy production, redox balance, and signaling functions. Mitochondria are the primary targets of heavy metal toxicity in human cells, and they are also the organelles most dependent on metal cofactors…
Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) is a family of transcription factors that regulate inflammation, immune responses, cell survival, and proliferation. NF-kB is a convergence point where metal toxicity, pathogen signaling, and chronic…
The outer membrane (OM) is the defining structural feature of Gram-negative bacteria, providing a permeability barrier that profoundly influences metal acquisition, antibiotic resistance, immune activation, and virulence. For the microbiome-metal axis, the outer membran…
Tight junctions are the multiprotein complexes that seal the paracellular space between intestinal epithelial cells, forming the physical barrier that separates the gut lumen (with its ~10^13 bacteria, LPS, and dietary antigens) from the underlying lamina propria and sy…
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a cell-surface pattern-recognition receptor in the toll like receptors family. It is best known for detecting particular forms of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through a receptor complex and converting that detection into innate immun…
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that form the front line of the innate immune system. They detect conserved molecular patterns from microbes -- pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) -- and damage-associated molecu…