Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid TUDCA
About Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid TUDCA
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, or TUDCA, is the taurine conjugate of ursodeoxycholic acid, a secondary bile acid. Bear bile, rich in these bile acids, has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, a practice criticized on animal welfare grounds, and modern TUDCA is synthetic. Ursodeoxycholic acid, or ursodiol, is an established medicine for certain gallstones and primary biliary cholangitis, and TUDCA itself is prescribed for cholestatic liver conditions in some countries. In laboratory studies TUDCA acts as a chemical chaperone, reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibiting apoptosis, and it has delayed disease in animal models of Huntington disease, Parkinson disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and retinal degeneration. A combination of sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol was approved in the United States for ALS in 2022 but withdrawn in 2024 after a larger trial did not confirm benefit. TUDCA has also been studied in diabetes and fatty liver disease. It is generally well tolerated in studies, with diarrhea the most common side effect.
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