Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: insights into pathogenesis and advances in omics studies

Abstract

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common pregnancy-specific liver disease. It is characterized by pruritus, abnormal liver function and elevated total bile acid (TBA) levels, increasing the risk of maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. Its etiology remains poorly elucidated. Over the years, various omics techniques, including metabolomics, microbiome, genomics, etc., have emerged with the advancement of bioinformatics, providing a new direction for exploring the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of ICP. In this review, we first summarize the role of bile acids and related components in the pathogenesis of ICP and then further illustrate the results of omics studies.

Keywords: Bile acid; Bile acid receptor; Gene; Genomics; Gut microbiota; Hormone; Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; Lipid; Metabolomics; Microbiome.