Tauroursodeoxycholic acid

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is an ambiphilic bile acid. It is the taurine conjugate form of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Humans are found to have trace amounts of TUDCA. However, bears contain large amounts of TUDCA in their bile; UDCA and conjugates comprise about 47% of the bile in American black bears and up to 76% in Asiatic bears. TUDCA has been used in ancient Asian pharmacopoeias for its supposed beneficial effects. UDCA is produced in several countries for the treatment of gallstones and liver cirrhosis. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in the U.S. while UDCA is approved in the United States for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis Ongoing research is finding TUDCA has diminishing apoptotic effects, with potential application in cardiac disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Recently, TUDCA has been found to have protective effects in the eye, especially concerning retinal degenerative disorders. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is an ambiphilic bile acid. It is the taurine conjugate form of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Humans are found to have trace amounts of TUDCA. However, bears contain large amounts of TUDCA in their bile; UDCA and conjugates comprise about 47% of the bile in American black bears and up to 76% in Asiatic bears. TUDCA has been used in ancient Asian pharmacopoeias for its supposed beneficial effects. UDCA is produced in several countries for the treatment of gallstones and liver cirrhosis. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in the U.S. while UDCA is approved in the United States for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis Ongoing research is finding TUDCA has diminishing apoptotic effects, with potential application in cardiac disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. Recently, TUDCA has been found to have protective effects in the eye, especially concerning retinal degenerative disorders. Chinese medicine has used animal bile for hundreds of years as a medicine to treat 'heat' illnesses. It was used to relieve spasms, reduce fever, and improve visual acuity. Bile is naturally synthesized via cholesterol, consisting of compounds including taurochenodeoxycholic acid, ursodeoxycholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid. However, UDCA and TUDCA were first synthetically developed in 1954 in Japan. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is largely influenced by the mitochondria. If the mitochondria are distressed, they release the molecule cytochrome C (cyC). Cytochrome C initiates enzymes called caspases to propagate a cascade of cellular mechanisms to cause apoptosis. TUDCA prevents apoptosis with its role in the BAX pathway. BAX, a molecule that is translocated to the mitochondria to release cytochrome C, initiates the cellular pathway of apoptosis. TUDCA prevents BAX from being transported to the mitochondria. This protects the mitochondria from perturbation and the activation of caspases. TUDCA acts as a chemical chaperone.