title: Effect of probiotics on serum bile acids in patients with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of bile acids (BA) is useful for assessing the changes of intestinal flora in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). During enterohepatic circulation, the intestinal micro flora cause 7 alpha-dehydroxylation of cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), yielding deoxycholic acid(DCA) and lithocholic acid, respectively. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of probiotics in patients with UC by examining changes of the serum BA profile.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients were divided into the following 2 groups based on endoscopic findings: Fifteen patients with distal UC (dUC group) and 12 patients with pancolitis (pUC group). After treatment with mesalazine or salazosulfapyridine (5-ASA), all patients achieved remission. Then they were given 5-ASA plus the probiotic Clostridium butyricum Miyairi (3.0 g/day) for 4 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 4 weeks of probiotic treatment, %CDCA was significantly higher and %DCA was significantly lower in the pUC group than in the HV group. In contrast, the dUC group showed no significant differences of %CDCA or %DCA from the HV group after 4 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Probiotic therapy restored intestinal flora involved in 7 alpha-dehydroxylation in the dUC group, but not in the pUC group.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Hidenari
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Igarashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000097:blood; D019826:Cholic Acid / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D046972:Clostridium butyricum / Q000254:growth & development*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007564:Japan; D008095:Lithocholic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012074:Remission Induction; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D015415:Biomarkers; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; D008095:Lithocholic Acid; D019826:Cholic Acid