Anti-cholestatic and cytoprotective properties of ursodeoxycholic acid

Studies in vivo and vitro

Abstract

In order to show the beneficial effect of urosodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) administration to patients with intrahepatic cholestasis, UDCA was given to intrahepatic cholestasis rat models and primary cultured rat hepatocytes.
Oral administration of UDCA (20mg/kg) to rats with 17α-ethynyl estradiol-induced cholestasis improved biliary excretion of indocyanine green injected intravenously. Cytochemical study showed a better preservation of alkaline phosphatase in the bile canalicular membrane in UDCA treated rat.
In cultured rat hepatocytes, the cytotoxicity induced by taurochenodeoxycholic acid was compromised by increasing the UDCA concentration in culture medium.
These findings suggest that UDCA hampered the development of cholestasis by 17α-ethynyl estradiol and this effect was thought to be brought by the cytoprotective effect of UDCA against the CDCA induced cytotoxicity during the course of cholestasis.