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Tauroursodeoxycholic acid is less damaging than taurochenodeoxycholic acid to the gastric and esophageal mucosa

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Abstract

Bile acids are capable of disrupting the gastric and esophageal mucosal barriers and are known to differ in their ability to injure these mucosae. Two bile acids, chenodeoxycholic and its 7-B epimer, ursodeoxycholic, that are being used to dissolve gallbladder stones were evaluated for their damaging effects on experimental preparations of the esophageal (rabbit) and gastric (dog) mucosa. Damage was assessed by measuring indices of mucosal barrier function, including net acid flux, potential difference, and tissue resistance, before and after exposure to the taurine conjugates of these bile acids. In both the esophageal and gastric mucosa, tauroursodeoxycholic acid caused significantly less disruption of barrier function than taurochenodeoxycholic acid. These results demonstrate that minor differences in conjugated bile acid structure can cause major changes in the effects of bile acids on the upper gastrointestinal mucosa and that ursodeoxycholic acid may be the preferred bile acid for oral ingestion to dissolve gallbladder stones.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. George W. Kidder PhD

    Present address: Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, Maryland

  2. Thomas R. Gadacz MD

    Present address: Department of Surgery, Baltimore Veterans Administration Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

  3. Lawrence F. Johnson MD

    Present address: Department of Medicine and Clinical Investigation, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC

  4. Alan F. Hofmann MD

    Present address: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California in San Diego, San Diego, California

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Surgery, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 20012, Washington DC

    Keith D. Lillemoe MD,  George W. Kidder PhD,  John W. Harmon MD,  Thomas R. Gadacz MD, Lawrence F. Johnson MD, Ralph M. Bunte DVM &  Alan F. Hofmann MD

  2. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

    Thomas R. Gadacz MD

Authors
  1. Keith D. Lillemoe MD
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  2. George W. Kidder PhD
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  3. John W. Harmon MD
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  4. Thomas R. Gadacz MD
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  5. Lawrence F. Johnson MD
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  6. Ralph M. Bunte DVM
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  7. Alan F. Hofmann MD
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Additional information

Supported in part by NIAMD AM-21835-02 and the Veteran's Administration.

Supported in part by NIH Research Grant AM 21506.

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Lillemoe, K.D., Kidder, G.W., Harmon, J.W. et al. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid is less damaging than taurochenodeoxycholic acid to the gastric and esophageal mucosa. Digest Dis Sci 28, 359–364 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324955

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01324955

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