Kagawa Laboratory Tokai University School of Medicine

We are studying the pathophysiological role of bile acids (Principal Investigator: Tatehiro Kagawa). Bile acids not only play an important role in intestinal absorption of dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins, but also regulate fat and carbohydrate metabolism through bile acids receptors such as FXR and TGR5. Bile acids are a molecule connecting liver and intestine via interaction with microbiome in the way of enterohepatic circulation. 

Intrahepatic cholestasis occurs when bile flow is interrupted in the liver. This disease can be fatal, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown. We are focusing on how bile flow is regulated and pursuing the molecular mechanism of intrahepatic cholestasis.