Summary
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, more commonly referred to as TUDCA, is a bile salt that is found naturally occurring in the body. When regular bile salts reach the intestines, they can be metabolized by bacteria into UDCA and then later bound to a taurine molecule to become TUDCA.
TUDCA is a water-soluble bile salt, which is in contrast to regular bile salts possessing both water soluble and fat soluble ends and conferring a detergent effect. This is good for the bile salt's biological purpose (emulsifying fats in the intestines to help with absorption) but when bile acids back up in the liver, a clinical state called cholestasis which occurs when the liver is unhealthy, these bile salts can be damaging to cells by destroying the membranes and signalling for cell death. TUDCA and other water soluble bile salts like UDCA compete with this toxicity and thus indirectly protect cells from death.
Additionally, it seems that TUDCA is able to reduce stress to any cell's Endoplasmic Reticulum; an organelle in cells that serves as a highway from the nucleus out into the cytoplasm, and aids in folding proteins. Through reducing ER stress, TUDCA has been implicated in a wide range of beneficial metabolic effects such as reducing insulin resistance and diabetes, and being a neurological protection agent. However, usages of TUDCA beyond the liver are preliminary whereas usage of TUDCA for helping an already harmed liver is quite reliable as TUDCA is used in clinical settings (hospitals) for treating cholestasis.
What are other names for TUDCA
- TUDCA
- Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid
- Taurine (a moiety on the UDCA part)
Dosage information
10-13mg daily has once been shown to improve liver regenesis rates in a clinically ill population, and may be the lowest estimate of an active oral dose. When looking at improving bile salt composition, a dose around 15-20mg/kg bodyweight TUDCA seems best according to one study.
Benefits have been seen at 1,750mg daily for muscle and liver insulin sensitivity, which is the highest dose used for treatment of fatty liver disease.
Examine Database: TUDCA
Update History
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Research Breakdown
Examine Database References
- Liver Enzymes - Larghi A, Crosignani A, Battezzati PM, De Valle G, Allocca M, Invernizzi P, Zuin M, Podda MUrsodeoxycholic and tauro-ursodeoxycholic acids for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis: a pilot crossover studyAliment Pharmacol Ther.(1997 Apr)
- Liver Enzymes - Invernizzi P, Setchell KD, Crosignani A, Battezzati PM, Larghi A, O'Connell NC, Podda MDifferences in the metabolism and disposition of ursodeoxycholic acid and of its taurine-conjugated species in patients with primary biliary cirrhosisHepatology.(1999 Feb)
- Liver Enzymes - Crosignani A, Battezzati PM, Setchell KD, Invernizzi P, Covini G, Zuin M, Podda MTauroursodeoxycholic acid for treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis. A dose-response studyDig Dis Sci.(1996 Apr)
- Weight - Kars M, Yang L, Gregor MF, Mohammed BS, Pietka TA, Finck BN, Patterson BW, Horton JD, Mittendorfer B, Hotamisligil GS, Klein STauroursodeoxycholic Acid may improve liver and muscle but not adipose tissue insulin sensitivity in obese men and womenDiabetes.(2010 Aug)
- Liver Cell Content - Panella C, Ierardi E, De Marco MF, Barone M, Guglielmi FW, Polimeno L, Francavilla ADoes tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) treatment increase hepatocyte proliferation in patients with chronic liver diseaseItal J Gastroenterol.(1995 Jun)
- Liver Enzymes - Crosignani A, Budillon G, Cimino L, Del Vecchio Blanco C, Loguercio C, Ideo G, Raimondo G, Stabilini R, Podda MTauroursodeoxycholic acid for the treatment of HCV-related chronic hepatitis: a multicenter placebo-controlled studyHepatogastroenterology.(1998 Sep-Oct)