Uisodeoxycholic acid (UDCA: 3a,7p-dihydroxy-5(3-cholanoic acid) is a dihydroxy bile acid which is used for the treatment of chronic cholestatic liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)1"5. UDCA is a physiological constituent of human bile, albeit in low amounts of 1-3% of total bile acids. In the Western literature the beneficial effects of UDCA on serum liver tests in cholestatic disorders were first reported less than 20 years ago6"8, but effects of UDCA treatment in liver disease were published earlier in Japan. In Chinese traditional medicine UDCA was used as a remedy for liver diseases in the form of dried black bear's bile9, in which UDCA constitutes the predominant bile acid (about 50-60% of total bile acids).
展开▼
