Biological and medical aspects of active ileal transport of bile acids

The active transport of conjugated bile acids by the ileum is responsible for the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, a physiological process that ensures an ample supply to the intestine of these key biological surfactants, irrespective of the rate of their biosynthesis from cholesterol. The ileal bile acid transport system is a high capacity, low affinity secondary active Na+ co-transport system that differs in substrate specificity from that present in the hepatocyte. Ileal transport is homeostatically regulated by feedback inhibition of the bile acids that are transported. The enterohepatic circulation is responsible for the concentration profile present in the intestine--high concentrations in the small intestine and low concentrations in the large intestine. Loss of ileal absorption, when mild, leads to a sequence of events that result in increased concentrations in the large intestine causing diarrhea. Severe bile acid malabsorption causes decreased concentrations in the small intestine which in turn lead to fat maldigestion and fat malabsorption. The increased passage of fatty acids into the colon contributes to diarrhea. Fat maldigestion and malabsorption also causes increased absorption of dietary oxalate from the colon which causes hyperoxaluria and contributes to nephrolithiasis. In cholestatic liver disease, inappropriate upregulation of ileal bile acid transport is likely to cause retention of hepatotoxic endogenous bile acids. In familial hypercholesterolemia, efficient bile acid absorption contributes to downregulation of LDL receptors and the maintenance of elevated plasma cholesterol levels; upregulation of bile acid transport during bile acid sequestrant therapy could diminish its efficacy. Efforts are in progress to develop a suitable bile acid analogue to be administered orally for conditions of bile acid deficiency in the small intestine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)