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Colonic absorption of unconjugated bile acids

Perfusion studies in man

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Abstract

Colonic absorption of three major unconjugated bile acids—cholate, chenodeoxycholate, and deoxycholate—was measured under steady-state conditions using a technique of colonic perfusion in healthy volunteers. Aqueous solutions at pH 8.0 and varying in concentration from 1 mM to 10 mM were used. The rate of chenodeoxycholate absorption averaged nine times that of cholate absorption; deoxycholate absorption was somewhat less than that of chenodeoxycholate absorption, averaging six times that of cholate. At concentrations below 5 mM, the rate of absorption of bile acids was directly proportional to concentration, so that “clearance” could be calculated. Clearance values for a 1-mM solution (ml/min/colon, mean ±se) were: chenodeoxycholate, 9.84±1.0; deoxycholate, 7.0±1; and cholate, 0.82±0.10. Since absorption was proportional to concentration in the lumen, and was more rapid for the dihydroxy acids, the major mechanism of absorption was thought to be passive nonionic diffusion. Maximal rates of bile acid absorption were calculated from a 1-mM solution and found to be as high as 4.2 g/day for chenodeoxycholate, 3.2 g/day for deoxycholate, and 0.5 g/day for cholate, and the rate would be still greater for more concentrated solutions. Colonic absorption may contribute significantly to conservation of the dihydroxy bile acid pool, especially in conditions of bile acid malabsorption.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gastroenterology Unit, Ohio State University, 410 West 10th Avenue, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    Hagop S. Mekhjian MD, Sidney F. Phillips MD & Alan F. Hofmann MD

  2. Gastroenterology Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

    Hagop S. Mekhjian MD, Sidney F. Phillips MD & Alan F. Hofmann MD

  3. University of California at San Diego, San Diego, USA

    Hagop S. Mekhjian MD, Sidney F. Phillips MD & Alan F. Hofmann MD

Authors
  1. Hagop S. Mekhjian MD
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  2. Sidney F. Phillips MD
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  3. Alan F. Hofmann MD
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Additional information

This study was supported in part by research grants AM 6908 and AM 16770, as well as Clinical Research Center Grant RR 34 and 585 from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service.

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Mekhjian, H.S., Phillips, S.F. & Hofmann, A.F. Colonic absorption of unconjugated bile acids. Digest Dis Sci 24, 545–550 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01489324

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