WikiBiomeThe human microbiome encyclopediaRanked matches across titles, topics, categories, and article introductions, filtered to mechanism.
An anti-aging protein that has emerged as a critical mediator between heavy metal exposure and chronic kidney disease progression. Originally discovered as a gene whose mutation caused premature aging in mice, alpha-klotho is now understood to be a multifunctional prote…
Progressive inflammatory disease of the arterial wall characterized by lipid accumulation, immune cell infiltration, and fibrous plaque formation. In the metallomics framework, atherosclerosis sits at the convergence of three interacting systems: heavy metal toxicity, g…
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal infection in women of reproductive age, affecting an estimated 29% of women globally. Rather than an infection by a single pathogen, BV represents a polymicrobial dysbiotic state -- a collapse of the protective Lactoba…
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
This knowledge-base record is being expanded from WikiBiome’s evidence graph.
The developing infant represents a uniquely vulnerable window for heavy metal toxicity. Three factors converge to make the first years of life a critical period: an immature and rapidly assembling gut microbiome, a developing blood-brain barrier, and proportionally high…
Interleukin-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine that sits at the crossroads of innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and metabolism. It is one of the most frequently elevated inflammatory mediators across conditions in this wiki — appearing in disease signatures spanning IBD, aut…
The kynurenine pathway (KP) is the dominant route of tryptophan catabolism, accounting for approximately 95% of dietary tryptophan degradation. It produces a cascade of neuroactive, immunomodulatory, and potentially neurotoxic metabolites whose balance determines whethe…
A family of small (6-7 kDa), cysteine-rich proteins that bind heavy metals with extraordinary affinity. Metallothioneins (MTs) are the cell's primary chemical defense against metal toxicity -- they sequester cadmium, mercury, lead, and other toxic metals, preventing the…
Parenteral nutrition (PN) -- the delivery of nutrients directly into the bloodstream via intravenous infusion -- is a life-saving intervention for patients who cannot absorb nutrition enterally. However, PN presents unique challenges for the metal-microbiome axis: it in…
Phenylalanine is an essential aromatic amino acid that sits at a metabolic crossroads: it is the precursor to tyrosine (and through it to dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine), a substrate for microbial conversion to cardiovascular risk metabolites, and a participa…
Polyamines -- putrescine, spermidine, spermine, and cadaverine -- are small polycationic molecules produced by both the host and the gut microbiome. They regulate cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune function. In the gut ecosystem, polyamines are metaboli…
Ursodeoxycholic acid is a hydrophilic secondary bile acid used therapeutically for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), gallstone dissolution, and cholestatic liver disease. It is also a microbial metabolite — gut bacteria (7α/β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases) convert chen…