Bile acids play an important role in intestinal health, and an imbalance in bile acid homeostasis is closely related to intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, bile acid diarrhea, and colorectal cancer. Bile acids are synthesized by the liver and can be divided into primary and secondary bile acids. Through the enterohepatic circulation, bile acids regulate bile acid metabolism, gut microbiota balance, and immune responses by activating bile acid receptors such as the farnesoid X receptor, pregnane X receptor, and vitamin D receptor, thereby affecting intestinal health. This article explores how natural products, such as ginsenoside Rc and resveratrol, regulate intestinal function through bile acid receptor signaling pathways, reviews the molecular mechanisms mediated by bile acid receptors and their roles in intestinal diseases, and discusses recent progress in natural product interventions, providing a theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies for intestinal diseases.

In this study, a rat model of ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by sodium dextran sulfate (DSS) was used to investigate the ameliorative effect of casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) on colitis. The results showed that CGMP improved the growth performance and reduced the disease activity index (DAI) of UC rats. Mechanistic studies revealed that CGMP improved intestinal permeability by reducing the degree of inflammatory infiltration in the colon tissue and the levels of the inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6, thereby alleviating colon tissue damage caused by DSS. At the same time, it protected the intestinal mucosal barrier and alleviated the symptoms of enteritis by regulating the production of short-chain fatty acids by the intestinal flora.