Dual roles of commensal bacteria after intestinal ischemia and reperfusion

This study reveals commensal gut bacteria play dual roles after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury: they worsen early inflammatory damage but are essential for epithelial healing. Bacterial lipopolysaccharides promote intestinal epithelial cell proliferation through TLR4-mediated PGE2 production and EGFR/PI3K/Akt pathway activation.