Allocholic acid
5α-cholanic acid-3α,7α,12α-triol
Allocholic Acid (Allocholate) has a role of a human, marine, and rat metabolite. It’s a steroid bile acid (BA), typically found in the fetal bile of vertebrates.
The compound is an allo-BA that is a 5α-cholanic acid with α-hydroxy substituents at positions 3,7, and 12 - 5α-cholanic acid-3α,7α,12α-triol. It is also known to be an isomer of one of the primary BA, cholic acid.
As with all BAs, Allocholic acid is derived from cholesterol catabolism in liver hepatocytes. BAs are crucial for the digestion and metabolism of fats and other sterol. After being secreted from the liver into the gall bladder where they are stored, BAs are released in the intestines through the bile duct. They complete their important role as detergents by emulsifying dietary fats for absorption, and afterward are reabsorbed in the gut, and finally return to the liver through the portal vein to be reused - a cyclic process. BAs have several additional physiological and pathological effects. They take part in the regulation of cholesterol, glucose, energy, and their own metabolism and homeostasis. However, when present at high levels, BAs are potent cytotoxic detergents with pathological properties.
In this manner, Allocholic Acid is found to be involved in hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Levels of the compound are elevated in experimental bile duct inflammation leading to hepatocellular neoplasm. Moreover, it reappears during liver regeneration in rat models.
Some other well-known abilities of Allocholic Acid are:
- Allocholic Acid is a precursor of petromyzonol - another organic marine steroid metabolite that functions as a migratory pheromone.
- The compound is a powerful and specific stimulant of the adult olfactory system.
- Allocholic Acid is observed to inhibit ATP-dependent TCA transport across cell membranes expressing salt export pumps.
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