Tauroursodeoxycholic acid enhances phagocytosis of the cultured rat Kupffer cell

Background: Ursodeoxycholic acid is used in the treatment of acute and chronic intrahepatic cholestasis because it ameliorates cholestasis and protects hepatocytes. However, few studies have examined the effect of bile acids on the function of Kupffer cells. Methods: The effect of various bile acids on cultured rat Kupffer cells was studied in terms of phagocytic activity in response to latex particles and morphological alterations. Video-enhanced differential interference contrast microscopy was used. Results: Taurochenodeoxycholic acid and taurodeoxycholic acid reduced the number of latex particles incorporated into Kupffer cells, but taurocholic and tauroursodeoxycholic acids enhanced phagocytosis of latex particles. Inhibition of phagocytosis by taurochenodeoxycholic acid or taurodeoxycholic acid was essentially dose dependent. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid also enhanced phagocytosis by Kupffer cells in which phagocytosis had been reduced by pretreatment with taurochenodeoxycholic acid or taurodeoxycholic acid. Incorporated latex particles had a distinct translocation speed of 0.084 ± 0.024 μm/s (mean maximum speed ± SD); the speed was in the same range with tauroursodeoxycholic acid treatment. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid induced a 56% expansion of cytoplasm, associated with increased ruffling and movement of intracellular organelles. Conclusions: These observations suggest that tauroursodeoxycholic acid enhances membrane trafficking without changing translocation speed.