Metabolism of Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Man

Long-Term Ursodeoxycholic Acid Therapy Does Not Alter Lithocholic Acid Levels in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis with Associated Liver Disease

“…7 UDCA has relatively low aqueous solubility at intestinal pH 19,20 and at high doses would be poorly absorbed, making it difficult to achieve high serum UDCA enrichments, while increasing fecal LCA excretion. 28,29 Furthermore, because bile acid malabsorption is a feature of CF, it is difficult to achieve high biliary UDCA enrichments even with high doses of UDCA. 14 In previous CF studies, doses of 20 mg/kg/day of UDCA achieved a biliary enrichment of 42 AE 6%, somewhat lower than the 56 AE 0.2% enrichment reported for patients with PBC treated with a similar dose (18-21 mg/kg/day).…”

Some pharmacokinetic considerations about homeostatic equilibrium of endogenous substances

“…Liver conjugates these substances with glycine or with taurine. The presystemic metabolism is more complex: glyco-or tauro-derivatives are hydrolysed, bile acids formed can be dehydroxylated, whereas hydroxyl groups are easily epimerized, The deconjugated bile acid is newly absorbed through the intestine according to an enterohepatic circulation (12,13). .…”

The Medical Treatment of Gallstones

“…Deoxych o lic acid and, more importantly, lithocholic acid virtually disap pear from the bile (80). In a comparative study of CDCA and UDCA fed to rhesus monkeys no liver toxicity was observed with UDCA (81).…”