Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid For the Treatment of Acute and Chronic Neurodegenerative Diseases

摘要

The dihydroxy bile acid, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), has been used for centuries in ancient Chinese folk medicine to alleviate hepatobiliary disorders1. Since its widespread clinical use in the Western world in the mid-1980s, UDCA has been shown to improve clinical and biochemical indices in a wide variety of liver diseases2. After oral administration, approximately 30-60% of UDCA is absorbed in the gut and enters the portal circulation. It is then taken up by hepatocytes at their sinusoidal domain via specific bile acid transport, such as the Na+-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) and the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP)3. UDCA is then rapidly conjugated to either glycine or taurine to form glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), respectively4.