“…Since the publication of our original paper on microbial metabolites and PXR (Venkatesh, Mukherjee et al 2014), several groups have independently replicated our findings concerning IPA (indole propionic acid) and its effects on mouse intestinal barrier function (Dodd, Spitzer et al 2017); IPA abrogates intestinal inflammation (Konopelski and Mogilnicka 2022); IPA action partly depends on PXR (Pulakazhi Venu, Saifeddine et al 2019, Xiao, Cui et al 2020, Du, Qi et al 2021; PXR inversely regulates TLR4 (Esposito, Nobile et al 2016, Huang, Mukherjee et al 2018, Erickson, Alston et al 2020, Lu, Jiang et al 2021, Su, Zhang et al 2022, Yuan, Lv et al 2022; epithelial TLR4 regulates inflammation and tumors (Fukata, Shang et al 2011, Sodhi, Neal et al 2012, Burgueño, Fritsch et al 2021; discovery of additional indole microbial metabolites (e.g., indole acetamide) with weak effects on PXR (Illés, Krasulová et al 2020). Two reports from the same investigators challenge the notion that epithelial TLR4 is functional (Crame, Bowen et al 2021, Tam, Coller et al 2022; however, further work is needed to clarify this discrepancy as these observations are likely to be context-and model-specific (Gribar, Anand et al 2008, Takahashi, Sugi et al 2009, Soliman, Michelsen et al 2010, Nanthakumar, Meng et al 2011, Sodhi, Neal et al 2012, Li, Teo et al 2014, Belmonte, Achamrah et al 2016, Dheer, Santaolalla et al 2016, Kim, Li et al 2016, Coleman and Haller 2017, Inoue, Yajima et al 2017, Hu, Tan et al 2018, Latorre, ...…”