Product Overview:
Bile acids are essential for solubilization and transport of dietary lipids, are the major products of cholesterol catabolism, and are physiological ligands for farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a nuclear receptor that regulates genes involved in lipid metabolism.{10943} They are also inherently cytotoxic, as physiological imbalance contributes to increased oxidative stress.{14024,16793} Bile acid-controlled signaling pathways are promising novel targets to treat such metabolic diseases as obesity, type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and atherosclerosis. Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) is a hydrophobic primary bile acid that activates nuclear receptors involved in cholesterol metabolism.{16793,16794} EC50 concentrations for activation of FXR range from 13-34 μM.{9823,13921} In cells, CDCA also binds to bile acid binding proteins (BABP) with a reported stoichiometry of 1:2.{16794} CDCA toxicity is linked to increased cellular glutathione levels and increased oxidative stress. Exposure of cells to excess CDCA contributes to liver and intestinal cancers.{16793}