Bile acids are synthesized by the liver from cholesterol through a complex series of reactions involving at least 14 enzymatic steps. A failure to perform any of these reactions will block bile acid production with failure to produce ‘‘normal bile acids’’ and, instead, result in the accumulation of unusual bile acids and intermediary metabolites. Failure to synthesize bile acids leads to reduce...

A picture is now starting to emerge regarding the liver-bile acid-microbiome axis. Increasing levels of the primary bile acid cholic acid (CA) causes a dramatic shift toward the Firmicutes, particularly Clostridium cluster XIVa and increasing production of the harmful secondary bile acid deoxycholic acid (DCA). During progression of cirrhosis, the microbiome, both through their metabolism, cell...

Information on the intestinal microbiota has increased exponentially this century because of technical advancements in genomics and metabolomics. Although information on the synthesis of bile acids by the liver and their transformation to secondary bile acids by the intestinal microbiota was the first example of the importance of the intestinal microbiota in biotransforming chemicals, this revi...

Information on the intestinal microbiota has increased exponentially this century because of technical advancements in genomics and metabolomics. Although information on the synthesis of bile acids by the liver and their transformation to secondary bile acids by the intestinal microbiota was the first example of the importance of the intestinal microbiota in biotransforming chemicals, this revi...

Hepatic hydroxylation is an essential step in the metabolism and excretion of bile acids and is necessary to avoid pathologic conditions such as cholestasis and liver damage. In this report, we demonstrate that the human xenobiotic receptor SXR (steroid and xenobiotic receptor) and its rodent homolog PXR (pregnane X receptor) serve as functional bile acid receptors in both cultured cells and an...

The role of bile acids in colorectal cancer has been well documented, but their role in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. In this review, we examined the risk factors of pancreatic cancer. We found that bile acids are associated with most of these factors. Alcohol intake, smoking, and a high-fat diet all lead to high secretion of bile acids, and bile acid metabolic dysfunction is a causal fact...

We recently demonstrated that the formation of delta 22-bile acids is a quantitatively major pathway for normal bile acid synthesis in the adult male Sprague-Dawley rat. This pathway is specific for 7 beta-hydroxy bile acids and, when ursodeoxycholic acid is administered, delta 22-ursodeoxycholic acid appears as a major metabolite in the liver tissue, bile, intestinal contents, and plasma. The ...

Hepatic hydroxylation is an essential step in the metabolism and excretion of bile acids and is necessary to avoid pathologic conditions such as cholestasis and liver damage. In this report, we demonstrate that the human xenobiotic receptor SXR (steroid and xenobiotic receptor) and its rodent homolog PXR (pregnane X receptor) serve as functional bile acid receptors in both cultured cells and an...