Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 4

Taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA) is a taurine-conjugated bile acid, closely related to chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), which has established use in the medical dissolution of cholesterol gallstones. The rationale for using TCDCA or related bile acids in gallstone disease is based on their ability to decrease cholesterol saturation in bile, thereby promoting the gradual dissolution of cholesterol-based gallstones.

While most clinical guidelines and approvals reference CDCA and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), TCDCA itself has been shown in experimental and some clinical settings to have similar properties. Scientific studies have demonstrated that TCDCA, being a major physiological bile acid in humans, can solubilize cholesterol and modify bile composition. Research indicates that both the unconjugated and conjugated forms of chenodeoxycholic acid reduce biliary cholesterol and promote gallstone dissolution (Hofmann, 1999). However, most large-scale clinical trials and regulatory approvals for gallstone dissolution therapies have used CDCA or UDCA, not TCDCA specifically.

In summary, the use of taurochenodeoxycholic acid for gallstones is scientifically plausible and supported by mechanistic and limited clinical evidence, but it is not as well-validated or widely used as CDCA or UDCA. The evidence rating reflects this: there is a solid scientific rationale and supporting data, but large-scale, high-quality clinical trials for TCDCA specifically are lacking.

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