title: Ursodeoxycholic acid corrects defective natural killer activity by inhibiting prostaglandin E2 production in primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: We evaluated the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on the defective natural killer activity in primary biliary cirrhosis. Administration of ursodeoxycholic acid (600 mg daily) for one month significantly increased natural killer activity in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (P < 0.05). Ursodeoxycholic acid also enhanced the in vitro natural killer activity of lymphocytes from healthy volunteers, while other hydrophobic bile acids depressed it. Furthermore, ursodeoxycholic acid reduced the prostaglandin E2 concentration in culture supernatants of lymphocytes from healthy volunteers to a lower level than that in culture incubated with chenodeoxycholic acid (P < 0.05) or control cultures (P < 0.01). Urosdeoxycholic acid normalized the defective natural killer activity in primary biliary cirrhosis by reducing the levels of other hydrophobic bile acids and inhibiting prostaglandin E2 production, suggesting that it may be a useful immunomodulating agent for primary biliary cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishigaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D019826:Cholic Acid; D002793:Cholic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002793:Cholic Acids; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D019826:Cholic Acid; D015232:Dinoprostone; D007213:Indomethacin