Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (602 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The processes whereby the internal environment of an organism tends to remain balanced and stable.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Autoregulation.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Physiological Phenomena
- Narrower topics
- Acid-Base Equilibrium; Body Temperature Regulation; Feedback, Physiological; Osmoregulation
- See also
- Neuroimmunomodulation
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 187,903 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Homeostasis” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 32,133 of them (17.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 73,609 records.
Reviews account for 35,459 records (18.9%) and meta-analyses for 405. Randomized controlled trials number 4,140 (2.2%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 73,609 |
| 2000-2009 | 31,937 |
| 2010-2019 | 50,224 |
| 2020 onward | 32,133 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 35,459 | 18.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 405 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 4,140 | 2.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Homeostasis"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commensal yeast Malassezia produces tryptophan metabolites to promote tissue homeostasis via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mice | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 42321537 · DOI · PMC13323057 |
| Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 42418063 · DOI · PMC13346419 |
| Visuomotor mismatch EEG responses over occipital cortex of freely moving human subjects | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42623255 · DOI · PMC13493123 |
Commensal yeast Malassezia produces tryptophan metabolites to promote tissue homeostasis via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mice [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- As an abundant fungal colonizer of mammalian skin, Malassezia establishes mutualistic or pathogenic interactions with the host.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings establish a previously unrecognized mutualistic role for Malassezia in skin physiology and expand our understanding of the skin microbiota's influence on barrier function and immune regulation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (145 words)
As an abundant fungal colonizer of mammalian skin, Malassezia establishes mutualistic or pathogenic interactions with the host. Here we show that Malassezia furfur promotes skin homeostasis by maintaining epidermal integrity via tryptophan-derived metabolites that activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a key regulator of keratinocyte differentiation and inflammation. M. furfur-derived tryptophan derivatives activated AhR in human epidermal equivalents and upregulated proteins important for skin structure and barrier activity in mouse epidermis. In a mouse model of atopic dermatitis, M. furfur colonization with tryptophan supplementation reduced inflammation and restored barrier function, while a fungal mutant defective in indole production was unable to do so. Mice lacking AhR specifically in keratinocytes failed to benefit from M. furfur-mediated barrier protection. These findings establish a previously unrecognized mutualistic role for Malassezia in skin physiology and expand our understanding of the skin microbiota's influence on barrier function and immune regulation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42321537 · DOI · PMC13323057
Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Copper, as an essential trace element, plays a critical role in various physiological processes including cell metabolism, nerve development, and immune function.
- Closing excerpt
- Furthermore, it highlights emerging therapeutic opportunities targeting copper ions to provide novel insights to explore and treat liver diseases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (267 words)
Copper, as an essential trace element, plays a critical role in various physiological processes including cell metabolism, nerve development, and immune function. Copper ions are maintained within an optimal range through a complex regulatory system in cells and organisms, ensuring dynamic equilibrium to sustain normal physiological functions and prevent copper toxicity. When this copper homeostasis is disrupted either by copper deficiency or overload, a series of pathological changes may occur, particularly in the liver, the primary organ responsible for copper metabolism. Cuproptosis is a unique form of regulated cell death specifically induced by copper ions, which has been identified mechanistically distinct from apoptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis in recent research. Cuproptosis is initiated by the direct binding of copper to lipoylated proteins in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which leads to the aggregation of abnormal proteins, the loss of Fe-S clusters, and mitochondrial proteotoxic stress. Key regulators like the reductase FDX1 and the lipoyltransferase LIPT1 define this novel metabolic cell death pathway. As the central organ for copper metabolism, the liver is a primary site for copper homeostasis disruption and cuproptosis. Dysregulated copper metabolism and activated cuproptosis have been implicated in a spectrum of liver diseases, including Wilson's disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These findings provide profound insights into hepatic pathogenesis and reveal new therapeutic targets. This review summarizes the regulatory mechanisms of copper homeostasis, the related signaling pathways of cuproptosis, and the distinct mechanisms in various liver diseases. Furthermore, it highlights emerging therapeutic opportunities targeting copper ions to provide novel insights to explore and treat liver diseases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42418063 · DOI · PMC13346419
Visuomotor mismatch EEG responses over occipital cortex of freely moving human subjects [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Likely the strongest predictor of visual feedback is self-motion.
- Closing excerpt
- Here, by combining a wireless EEG recording system with a virtual reality headset, we found robust visuomotor mismatch responses in human cortex that were characterized by a reversed polarity relative to visual-evoked responses and a greater signal power than both visual responses and oddball mismatch responses.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (190 words)
Likely the strongest predictor of visual feedback is self-motion. In mice, the coupling between movement and visual feedback is learned with first visual experience of the world, and brief perturbations of the coupling result in strong visuomotor mismatch responses in visual cortex that possibly reflect prediction errors. In humans, predictive coding has primarily been studied using oddball paradigms, which rely on violations of stimulus probability based on recent sensory history. It was still unclear, however, whether humans exhibit visuomotor mismatch responses similar to those observed in mice. This question was important for two reasons. First, visuomotor mismatch responses in humans constitute a basis to start translating the mechanistic understanding of the circuit that computes these responses from mouse to human cortex. Second, a paradigm that can trigger strong prediction error responses and consequently requires shorter recording times would simplify experiments in a clinical setting. Here, by combining a wireless EEG recording system with a virtual reality headset, we found robust visuomotor mismatch responses in human cortex that were characterized by a reversed polarity relative to visual-evoked responses and a greater signal power than both visual responses and oddball mismatch responses.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42623255 · DOI · PMC13493123
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review [4]
- Research article Impaired Glucose Homeostasis in First-Episode Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Effects of Saturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate on Glucose-Insulin Homeostasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Feeding Trials [6]
- Research article The Effects of Heat Adaptation on Physiology, Perception and Exercise Performance in the Heat: A Meta-Analysis [7]
- Research article Transepidermal water loss in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis update [8]
- Research article Audiovisual feedback device use by health care professionals during CPR: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised and non-randomised trials [9]
References
- Gushiken-Ibañez E, Stokmaier M, Barone G, Staropoli A, Karakaya T, Beer HD, et al.. Commensal yeast Malassezia produces tryptophan metabolites to promote tissue homeostasis via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mice. . 2026. PMID 42321537 · DOI · PMC13323057
- Chen H, Zhou Z, Tu Y, Yang Y, Liu X, Phoeurm N, et al.. Copper homeostasis and cuproptosis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. . 2026. PMID 42418063 · DOI · PMC13346419
- Solyga M, Zelechowski M, Keller GB. Visuomotor mismatch EEG responses over occipital cortex of freely moving human subjects. . 2026. PMID 42623255 · DOI · PMC13493123
- Halton TL, Hu FB. The effects of high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004. PMID 15466943 · DOI
- Pillinger T, Beck K, Gobjila C, Donocik JG, Jauhar S, Howes OD. Impaired Glucose Homeostasis in First-Episode Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017. PMID 28097367 · DOI · PMC6352957
- Imamura F, Micha R, Wu JH, de Oliveira Otto MC, Otite FO, Abioye AI, et al.. Effects of Saturated Fat, Polyunsaturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, and Carbohydrate on Glucose-Insulin Homeostasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Feeding Trials. PLoS Med. 2016. PMID 27434027 · DOI · PMC4951141
- Tyler CJ, Reeve T, Hodges GJ, Cheung SS. The Effects of Heat Adaptation on Physiology, Perception and Exercise Performance in the Heat: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016. PMID 27106556 · DOI
- Akdeniz M, Gabriel S, Lichterfeld-Kottner A, Blume-Peytavi U, Kottner J. Transepidermal water loss in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis update. Br J Dermatol. 2018. PMID 30022486 · DOI
- Kirkbright S, Finn J, Tohira H, Bremner A, Jacobs I, Celenza A. Audiovisual feedback device use by health care professionals during CPR: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised and non-randomised trials. Resuscitation. 2014. PMID 24361457 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.