Cattle bile acids

Derivation From adrenal gland extract (usually from cattle) (historical method), syntheticahy from bile acids, from other steroids or sapogenins. 

OX BILE, Fel taurisOn bile is obtained from cattle in slaughterhouses, and contains sodium salts of some 20 conjugated bile acids. Among these, cholic acid and desoxy-cholic acid occur in the ratio 10 1. 

Bile salts have been used for centuries as digestive aids and cathartics. Their use for these purposes has become more limited recently, and this is probably appropriate until better preparations become available and indications for their administration become more clearly defined. Most commercial bile salt preparations are desiccated or crude extracts of cattle bile containing mainly unconjugated bile salts with small amounts of pigment and lipids. They are generally supplied as 0.2- or 0.3-g tablets. The customary dose is 0.4-0.6 g three times daily with meals. This is probably an inadequate dose, as will be explained later. Dehydrocholic acid, 3,7,12-triketo-5j -cholanoic acid, is oxidized cholic acid and is supplied in pure form but does not form micelles and hence probably does not assist fat absorption significantly and would be of little value for replacement therapy. Sodium dehydrocholate is supplied as a 20 % solution in ampules and is widely used to measure blood circulation times. It does not appear to be conjugated by the liver (86). 

This acid was isolated from cattle bile by Haslewood in 1946 (157) but has not been detected elsewhere. It may be synthesized by Oppenauer oxidation of cholic acid or from the methyl ester triacetate of cholic acid by selective hydrolysis and subsequent oxidation (158, 159). 

Ooours in human and cattle bile. Prisms from dil.EtOH. M.p. 186 . [a] + 32-14 in EtOH. Sol. EtOH, CHCl,. AoOH. Spar. sol. EtjO, AoOEt. Prao. insol. ILO, ligroin. Insol. cold NaHCOa, NaOH, but sol. in hot. CrO. —y de-h3rdrolithooholio acid. HNO —y lithobilianio a. Bed. —y oholanio acid. Tasteless. 

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