The intestinal milieu is astonishingly complex and home to a constantly changing mixture of
small and large molecules, along with an abundance of bacteria, viral particles, and
eukaryotic cells. Such complexity makes it difficult to develop testable molecular hypotheses
regarding host-microbe interactions. Fortunately, mammals and their associated
gastrointestinal (GI) microbes contain complementary systems that are ideally suited for
mechanistic studies. Mammalian systems inactivate endobiotic and xenobiotic compounds …