Abstract: Ursodeoxycholic acid is a dihy- droxy bile acid with a rapidly expanding spectrum of usage in acute and chronic liver diseases. The various mechanisms of action of this hydrophilic bile acid include direct cytoprotection, detergent action on dysfunctional microtubules, immunomodulation and induction of hypercholer- esis. Its efficacy in primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis as an adjunct to medical therapy has been well established.Ursodeoxycholic acid prolongs survival in primary biliary cirrhosis and it improves biochemical parameters of cholestasis in various other cholestatic disorders including primary sclerosing cholangitis, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, cystic fibrosis and total parenteral nutritioninduced cholestasis. However, a positive effect on survival remains to be established in these diseases. Ursodeoxycholic acid is of unproven efficacy in non- cholestatic disorders such as acute rejection after liver transplantation, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and chronic viral hepatitis. This review outlines the present knowledge of the Pharmacology of ursodeoxycholic acid, and presents data from clinical trials on its use in chronic liver diseases. Keywords: Liver cirrhosis, Urisodeoxycholic acid
Urisodeoxycholic Acid in Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis
