Effect of oral administration of ursodeoxycholic acid on rat hepatic and intestinal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase

The effect of oral administration of the bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid on rat hepatic and intestinal microsomal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase was studied. The bile acid was administered during 8 days at a daily dose of 500 mg/kg body weight. Enzyme activity was assessed in native and activated microsomes, using bilirubin and p-nitrophenol as substrates. Activation was achieved either by including UDP-N-acetylglucosamine in the incubation mixture or by preincubating native microsomes with an optimal concentration of Lubrol Px. Irrespective of activation status of the microsomes, ursodeoxycholic acid treatment increased enzyme activities toward both substrates in intestine, but not in liver. The analysis of the degree of activation by Lubrol Px revealed that, at least for bilirubin, ursodeoxycholic acid decreased the latency of the intestinal enzyme. The analysis of the lipid composition of microsomes showed several changes in response to ursodeoxycholic acid in intestine but not in liver. Thus, a decrease in cholesterol/phospholipid ratio and an increase in the unsaturation index of total-lipid fatty acids, which correlated well with a membrane "fluidification," were observed. These modifications appear to be related to the lower latency of bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in intestine from treated rats and could be responsible, at least in part, for the improvement of enzyme activity in this group. Whatever the mechanism involved, the increment of intestinal UDP-glucuronosyltransferase activities toward both substrates may be relevant as a complement to the hepatic enzymes in those liver diseases in which ursodeoxycholic acid is used as a therapeutic agent.