Cholic acid

Cholic acid, also known as 3α,7α,12α-trihydroxy-5β-cholan-24-oic acid is a primary <a href="/facts/Bile_acid/ojTJzf0c">bile acid</a> that is insoluble in water (soluble in <a href="/facts/Ethanol/3lCLfBSP">alcohol</a> and <a href="/facts/Acetic_acid/uyBKA2Pd">acetic acid</a>), it is a white crystalline substance. Salts of cholic acid are called cholates. Cholic acid, along with <a href="/facts/Chenodeoxycholic_acid/lUBLponl">chenodeoxycholic acid</a>, is one of the two major <a href="/facts/Bile_acid/ojTJzf0c">bile acids</a> produced by the <a href="/facts/Liver/Rtp4Fk2b">liver</a>, where it is synthesized from <a href="/facts/Cholesterol/TnfPlYc1">cholesterol</a>. These two major bile acids are roughly equal in concentration in humans. Derivatives are made from cholyl-CoA, which exchanges its <a href="/facts/Coenzyme_A/loAfeGpx">CoA</a> with either <a href="/facts/Glycine/3nXI1hqW">glycine</a>, or <a href="/facts/Taurine/Gol6r2l3">taurine</a>, yielding <a href="/facts/Glycocholic_acid/wRjKFTxo">glycocholic</a> and <a href="/facts/Taurocholic_acid/nHRUT345">taurocholic acid</a>, respectively.
Cholic acid downregulates <a href="/facts/Cholesterol-7-%25CE%25B1-hydroxylase/bkySz9hb">cholesterol-7-α-hydroxylase</a> (rate-limiting step in bile acid synthesis), and cholesterol does the opposite. This is why chenodeoxycholic acid, and not cholic acid, can be used to treat <a href="/facts/Gallstone/9bIB9MYT">gallstones</a> (because decreasing bile acid synthesis would supersaturate the stones even more).
Cholic acid and <a href="/facts/Chenodeoxycholic_acid/lUBLponl">chenodeoxycholic acid</a> are the most important human bile acids. Other species may synthesize different bile acids as their predominant primary bile acids.

Cholic acid open-in-new

Cholic acid