Bile Acid Found to Reduce Stroke Injury

In a new study, a nontoxic bile acid administered into the carotid artery before or up to six hours after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been found to significantly reduce the injury associated with stroke in rats. The results were reported in the April 21, 2003, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

ICH can result in a significant loss of neuronal cells thought to occur by apoptosis. The bile acid, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), was shown to decrease apoptosis in the rats by 50%, translating into a 50% decrease in lesion volume. TUDCA is able to cross the blood/brain barrier, which many molecules cannot do. A big advantage of TUDCA is that it is made in our own bodies, so it causes no side effects when given as a drug to animals. Orally administered ursodeoxycholic acid, the parent molecule, is already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis.

"Not only does TUDCA cross the blood/brain barrier, but it also induces survival pathways in cells when they are injured and simultaneously inhibits the destructive pathways,” said Clifford Steer, M.D., director of the molecular gastroenterology program at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis/St.Paul, USA), who led the study. "This bile acid is particularly unique in its ability to maintain the integrity of mitochondria that is so important for normal cell function.”




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