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Treatment of bile acid amidation defects with glycocholic acid
Author(s) -
Heubi James E.,
Setchell Kenneth D.R.,
Jha Pinky,
Buckley Donna,
Zhang Wujuan,
Rosenthal Philip,
Potter Carol,
Horslen Simon,
Suskind David
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.27401
Subject(s) - glycocholic acid , bile acid , cholic acid , taurocholic acid , medicine , taurine , lithocholic acid , bile acid malabsorption , cholestasis , ursodeoxycholic acid , endocrinology , vitamin , biology , biochemistry , chemistry , amino acid
Bile acid amidation defects were predicted to present with fat/fat soluble vitamin malabsorption with minimal cholestasis. We identified and treated five patients (one male, four females) from four families with defective bile acid amidation due to a genetically confirmed deficiency in bile acid CoA:amino acid N‐acyl transferase (BAAT) with the conjugated bile acid, glycocholic acid (GCA). Fast atom bombardment‐mass spectrometry analysis of urine and bile at baseline revealed predominantly unconjugated cholic acid and absence of the usual glycine and taurine conjugated primary bile acids. Treatment with 15 mg/kg GCA resulted in total duodenal bile acid concentrations of 23.3 ± 19.1 mmol/L (mean ± SD) and 63.5 ± 4.0% of the bile acids were secreted in bile in the conjugated form, of which GCA represented 59.6 ± 9.3% of the total biliary bile acids. Unconjugated cholic acid continued to be present in high concentrations in bile because of partial intestinal deconjugation of orally administered GCA. Serum total bile acid concentrations did not significantly differ between pretreatment and posttreatment samples and serum contained predominantly unconjugated cholic acid. These findings confirmed efficient intestinal absorption, hepatic extraction, and biliary secretion of the administered GCA. Oral tolerance tests for vitamin D 2 (1,000 IU vitamin D 2 /kg) and tocopherol (100 IU/kg tocopherol acetate) demonstrated improvement in fat‐soluble vitamin absorption after GCA treatment. Growth improved in 3/3 growth‐delayed prepubertal patients. Conclusion : Oral glycocholic acid therapy is safe and effective in improving growth and fat‐soluble vitamin absorption in children and adolescents with inborn errors of bile acid metabolism due to amidation defects. (H epatology 2015;61:268–274)