Fig. 8: Proposed mechanism of AP exacerbation by the altered gut microbiome and serum metabolome.

Flowchart depicting the integrated analyses of fecal metagenome, serum metabolome and lipidome, and bacterial cultivation and transplantation experiments employed in this study. The proposed mechanism of AP exacerbation by the altered gut microbiome and serum metabolome, as well as in bacterial transplantation mice, is shown. SCFA short-chain fatty acids, TCA cycle tricarboxylic acid cycle, PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acid, ARG antibiotic resistance gene, VAG virulence-associated gene.