Fig. 1

A model depicting the correlation among CAD related microbiota, cholesterol disorder, bile acids profile, abnormal Th17/Treg, and vascular dysfunction. Faecal microbiota from CAD patients induce higher cholesterol level via enriching secondary bile acids synthesis in the recipient germ free mice. Meanwhile, CAD related microbiota stimulate the immune response featured by Th17/Treg imbalance not only in intestinal but also systematically, causing endotoxemia and increased vascular tone. These findings indicated a causal role of microbiota in the pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction