Kata Kunci

Abstrak

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a secondary bile acid (BA), is an acidic steroid synthesized from cholesterol in hepatocytes. UDCA is widely used for the treatment of various diseases related to liver injury. The use of UDCA to treat non-liver diseases has also been developed recently, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and obesity. Due to the important role of UDCA in human health, numerous studies aimed at understanding its chemical and pharmacological properties have been published. Literature sources were obtained from online databases such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed using keywords related to the purpose of the study. Critical analysis and review were performed for all literature. UDCA is a steroid compound with pharmacological properties. Seventeen enzymes are involved in its biosynthesis, which has been proposed in four pathways: classic, alternative, the Yamazaki, and 25-hydroxylation pathways. UDCA can be isolated from bovine bile, bear bile (from all Ursidae), human, rabbit, cow, rat, hamster, sheep, pig, and plants. UDCA has been used in the treatment of several diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, hepatolithiasis associated with Caroli syndrome gallstones, cystic fibrosis, hepatitis C virus, chronic heart failure, neurodegenerative diseases, and obesity, as well as in the prevention of cancer. UDCA has a wide range of pharmacological properties. Further investigations into its efficacy and safety in humans are required before it can be used for several indications. All genes responsible for UDCA biosynthesis have been elucidated. That said, further genetic engineering studies to find other prospective sources of UDCA could be a challenge for future research.