Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Using Multi-fluorinated Bile Acids and In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Measure Bile Acid Transport
Published on: November 27, 2016
Use and indications of cholestyramine and bile acid sequestrants
Franco Scaldaferri1, Marco Pizzoferrato, Francesca Romana Ponziani
1Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy. francoscaldaferri@libero.it
Abstract:
Cholestyramine is a bile acid sequestrant, like colestipol and colesevelam. These molecules are positively charged non-digestible resins that bind to bile acids in the intestine to form an insoluble complex, which is excreted in the feces. They are used mainly for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia and hypercholesterolemia associated with mild hypertriglyceridemia, in patients not responding to dietary treatment as well as a second line-treatment for pruritus associated with cholestatic disease, in patients with incomplete biliary obstruction. Several data indicate that modulation of bile acid homeostasis has a good clinical effect in managing diabetes mellitus and the diarrhea from bile acid malabsorption. In this review, we present the "in label" use and indication for these compounds, revisiting the other clinical applications that may benefit from the use of bile acid sequestrants in the near future.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Enterohepatic Cycling
Post-release drugs and metabolites can be reabsorbed into the body from the intestine. For conjugated metabolites like glucuronides, reabsorption requires enzymatic hydrolysis by intestinal microflora. This...
Cholecystitis
Lipids: Dietary Sources and Requirements