Hepatoprotective bile acid ‘ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)’: Property and difference as bile acids
Introduction
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a bile acid, which is present in human bile as a low concentration of only 3% of total bile acids. A variety of clinical studies have shown the beneficial effect of UDCA in liver disease worldwide. We reveal the physicochemical properties of UDCA as bile acid and overview the established pharmacological effects of UDCA from its metabolism.
Section snippets
Biosynthetic pathways and species of bile acids
In humans, two primary bile acids (cholic acid, CA and chenodeoxycholic acid, CDCA) are synthesized from cholesterol in hepatocytes. After biosynthesis, these two primary bile acids are conjugated with either glycine or taurine and excreted into the intestine with bile. Some of them are converted to the secondary bile acids by enterobacteria. That is, CA is converted to deoxycholic acid (DCA). CDCA is converted to lithocholic acid (LCA) and UDCA. In biliary bile acid composition, the major bile
Hepatoprotective effect of UDCA
We investigated the effect of TUDCA on TCDCA-induced GPT release in primary rat hepatocytes. Consequently, it became clear that TUDCA dose-dependently protected TCDCA-induced GPT release in hepatocytes (Fig. 2). So, it is clear that TUDCA has hepatoprotective effect in vitro.
Clinical efficacy of UDCA for PBC
Based on these studies, we considered the clinical efficacy of UDCA. It is PBC that bile acids increase in the liver and they are considered to be deeply involved in liver dysfunction, so we tried to treat UDCA in PBC
Conclusion
In conclusion, UDCA has various mechanisms of action and these multiple actions are considered to have led to improve liver conditions.
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