Sulfate esterification has been shown previously to be a prominent feature of lithocholate metabolism in man. These studies were undertaken to ascertain whether this metabolic pathway is also present in rats, and to investigate the physiological significance of bile acid sulfate formation. Lithocholic acid-24-(14)C was administered to bile fistula rats, and sulfated metabolites were identified ...

Both bile acids and bile alcohols, a subclass of steroids, are made from cholesterol as its major end metabolites by the liver of vertebrates. Their conjugates are the major constituents of the bile and possess a special function as an aid to intestinal lipid digestion and absorption. The most common naturally occurring bile acids in mammals, birds, most snakes, and various teleostean fishes, a...

The liver plays a central role in metabolism. Although many studies have described in vitro liver models for drug discovery, to date, no model has been described that can stably maintain liver function. Here, we used a unique, scaffold-free 3D bio-printing technology to construct a small portion of liver tissue that could stably maintain drug, glucose, and lipid metabolism, in addition to bile ...

The hepatic metabolism and the choleretic effect of homochenodeoxycholic acid, the C25 homologue of chenodeoxycholic acid, were investigated in the hamster. After intravenous administration of 3H-labeled homochenodeoxycholic acid into biliary fistula hamsters, more than 80% of the radioactivity was recovered in bile in 4 h. A relatively small proportion of homochenodeoxycholic acid was present ...

Bile acids are amphipathic molecules synthesized from cholesterol in the liver. Bile acid synthesis is a major pathway for hepatic cholesterol catabolism. Bile acid synthesis generates bile flow which is important for biliary secretion of free cholesterol, endogenous metabolites, and xenobiotics. Bile acids are biological detergents that facilitate intestinal absorption of lipids and fat-solubl...

Aims: We designed this study to get insight into the disorder of lipid metabolism during cholesterol gallstone formation and evaluate the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on the improvement of bile lithogenicity and on expression of lipid related genes. Methods: Rabbit cholesterol gallstone models were induced by high cholesterol diet. Bile, blood and liver tissues were obtained from rabbits afte...

Research into gut microbiome is being actively pursued now which has been discussed under the section, ‘Interactions of Bile Acids and the Gut Microbiome’. Interactions of bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota in patients with cirrhosis are discussed in this section. Similar hypotheses are being looked at in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma in these...