Bile acids
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
 |
This article is still under construction. |
Description
Bile acids are synthesised from cholesterol in the liver and are then conjugated with glycine or taurine. Feline bile acids are conjugated exclusively with taurine, aprtly explaining their high absolute requirement for this aminosulphonic acid, whereas rabbits conjugate their bile acids only with glycine. The conjugated bile acids are secreted into bile which then passes into the small intestine.
Bile acids participate in lipid digestion in the small intestine and a proportion are then reabsorbed in the ileum. These are extracted from the portal blood in the liver and re-secreted into bile, completing the entero-hepatic circulation of bile acids.
Structure
Clinical Significance
See also: Bile acids in lizards.