Figure 4. The interplay between metabolism, homeostasis and ageing in the mouse intestine.

(A) Extrinsic metabolic changes, such as dietary interventions, and intrinsic metabolic states influence the epithelial homeostasis of the intestine. The response of the epithelium to metabolic changes includes stem cell function and renewal capacity, progenitor differentiation and fate determination as well as increased cancer risk. (B) Effects of ageing on the epithelial homeostasis in the mouse intestine include diminished stem cell function and renewal capacity as well as impaired epithelial turnover rate and homeostasis. (C) The effects of metabolites and metabolic changes on ageing‐related phenotypes include induced cellular stress, stem cell rejuvenation, improved epithelial turnover rate and stem cell function as well as impaired villus and stem cell function. Blue arrows indicate an upregulation, red arrows indicate a downregulation, dashed lines indicate suggested biological function, and solid lines indicate shown biological function.