The effects of phospholipid molecular species on cholesterol crystallization in model biles: the influence of phospholipid head groups

Research progress in liver targeted fatty acid bile acid conjugates

Fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABACs) are synthetic lipid molecules designed to solubilize biliary cholesterol. FABACs were shown to delay, reduce, or prevent cholesterol crystallization in vitro and ex vivo in model bile solutions and in human bile. FABACs have also been shown to prevent the formation of cholesterol gallstones and to dissolve preexisting gallstones in experimental animal models. In addition to the beneficial effect on gallstone disease, FABACs have been demonstrated to be able to prevent diet-induced fatty liver, reduce atherosclerosis in C57Bl6 mice and increase faecal bile salt and neutral sterol secretion.

Advanced formulation and pharmacological activity of hydrogel of the titrated extract ofC. asiatics

Titrated extract of Centella asiatica (TECA) contains three principal ingredients, asiaticoside (AS), asiatic acid (AA), and madecassic acid (MA). These components are known to be clinically effective on systemic scleroderma, abnormal scar formation, and keloids. However, one problem associated with administration of TECA is its low solubility in aqueous as well as oil medium. In this study, various nonionic surfactants and bile salts as anionic surfactant were tested and screened for solubilizing TECA with a view to developing topical hydrogel type of ointment which is stable physicochemically, and has better pharmacological effects. When TECA was incorporated into various nonionic surfactant systems, labrasol had the most potent capacity for solubilizing TECA. In cases of bile salt systems, Na-deoxycholate (Na-DOC) had foremost solubilizing capacity, even more than labrasol. In differential scanning calorimetric study, the peaks of AA, MA, AS and Na-DOC disappeared at the coprecipitate of 1% TECA and 1% Na-DOC, suggesting the optimum condition of Na-DOC for solubilizing TECA. When the physicochemical stability of hydrogel containing this mixture was assessed, it was stable at room temperature for at least one month. Pharmacologically it significantly decreased the size of wound area at the 9th day when applied to the wound area of rat dorsal skin. Taken together, solubility of TECA was dramatically improved by using nonionic and anionic surfactant systems, and Na-DOC was found to be the most effective solubilizer of TECA in formulating a TECA-containing hydrogel typed ointment. Moreover this gel was considered to be applicable to clinical use for wound healing effect.

Arachidyl amido cholanoic acid (Aramchol) is a cholesterol solubilizer and prevents the formation of cholesterol gallstones in inbred mice

We have recently synthesized fatty acid bile acid conjugates (FABAC) that were able to reduce and retard cholesterol crystallization in model and human biles. When given orally, they prevented the formation of cholesterol crystals in the bile of hamsters. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the FABAC are cholesterol solubilizers, whether they can dissolve pre-existing crystals, whether they can prevent the formation of cholesterol gallstones, and to investigate the optimal type of bond between the fatty acid and bile acid. The presence of cholesterol crystals was determined by light microscopy, and the total crystal mass of precipitated crystals was measured by chemical means. Inbred (C57J/L) mice on a lithogenic diet were used to evaluate cholesterol crystal formation, dissolution, and gallstone formation in vivo. Arachidyl amido cholanoic acid (Aramchol) was the FABAC used in the present experiments. At equimolar amounts, the cholesterol-solubilizing capacity of Aramchol was higher than that of taurocholate and similar to that of phosphatidylcholine. The addition of Aramchol dissolved approximately 50% of pre-existing crystals in model bile solutions. The same phenomenon was demonstrated in human bile ex vivo, with a dose-response effect. All inbred mice developed cholesterol crystals in bile after 10-14 d on the lithogenic diet. Thereafter, supplementation of the diet with Aramchol progressively reduced the proportion of mice with crystals to 25% after 28 d. On the lithogenic diet, 100% of inbred mice developed cholesterol gallstones in the gallbladder by day 21. None of the mice whose diet was supplemented with 0.5 mg or 1.0 mg of Aramchol/d developed stones or crystals. FABAC are a new class of molecules that are cholesterol solubilizers and which are able to dissolve cholesterol crystals in bile. Upon oral administration, they dissolve pre-existing cholesterol crystals and prevent the formation of gallstones in gallstone-susceptible mice.

Partial replacement of bile salts causes marked changes of cholesterol crystallization in supersaturated model bile systems

Cholesterol crystallization is a key step in gallstone formation and is influenced by numerous factors. Human bile contains various bile salts having different hydrophobicity and micelle-forming capacities, but the importance of lipid composition to bile metastability remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of bile salts on cholesterol crystallization in model bile (MB) systems. Supersaturated MB systems were prepared with an identical composition on a molar basis (taurocholate/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol, 152 mM:38 mM: 24 mM), except for partial replacement of taurocholate (10, 20, and 30%) with various taurine-conjugated bile salts. Cholesterol crystallization was quantitatively estimated by spectrophotometrically measuring crystal-related turbidity and morphologically scanned by video-enhanced microscopy. After partial replacement of taurocholate with hydrophobic bile salts, cholesterol crystallization increased dose-dependently without changing the size of vesicles or crystal morphology and the rank order of crystallization was deoxycholate>chenodeoxycholate>cholate (control MB). All of the hydrophilic bile salts (ursodeoxycholate, ursocholate and beta-muricholate) inhibited cholesterol precipitation by forming a stable liquid-crystal phase, and there were no significant differences among the hydrophilic bile-salt species. Cholesterol crystallization was markedly altered by partial replacement of bile salts with a different hydrophobicity. Thus minimal changes in bile-salt composition may dramatically alter bile lipid metastability.