Utilizing untargeted ion mobility-mass spectrometry to profile changes in the gut metabolome following biliary diversion surgery

Obesity and obesity-related disorders are a global epidemic affecting over 10% of the world’s population. Treatment of these diseases has become increasingly challenging and expensive. The most effective and durable treatment for Class III obesity (body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m2) is bariatric surgery, namely Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). These procedures are associated with increased circulating bile acids, molecules that not only facil-itate intestinal fat absorption, but are also potent hormones regulating numerous metabolic pathways. We recently reported on a novel surgical procedure in mice, termed distal gallbladder bile diversion to the ileum (GB-ILdist), that emulates the altered bile flow after RYGB without other manipulations of GI anatomy. GB-ILdist improves oral glucose tolerance in mice made obese with high-fat diet. This is accompanied by fat malabsorption and weight loss which complicates studying the role of elevated circulating bile acids in metabolic c...