Effects of bile and bile acids on cultured human fibroblasts

Impaired healing induced by leakage of bile has been postulated as one factor responsible for complications after reconstructive bile duct surgery. The cytotoxicity of human bile and its major bile acids on cultured human fibroblasts was therefore studied by evaluation of their effects on cell morphology and growth, on synthesis and secretion of 35SO4-mucopolysaccharides and on release of a lysosomal enzyme. Normal human fibroblasts derived from a standard culture strain (MRC-5) were grown to confluence and exposed to: (1) sterile human T-tube bile, (2) a mixture of bile acids resembling that of human bile, or (3) various concentrations of the glycine- and taurine conjugates of cholic, chenodeoxycholic or deoxycholic acid. Medium containing whole bile (total bile acid concentration 0.25, 0.75 or 1.6 mmol/l) exerted time and dose dependent cytotoxic effects on morphology and growth and release of lysosomal enzyme. Synthesis and secretion of 35SO4-mucopolysaccharides were markedly inhibited. The bile acid mixture exhibited the same time and dose dependent effects. The conjugates of deoxycholic acid were found to be the most toxic of the individual bile acids studied.