Effects of oral tauroursodeoxycholic acid and/or intestinal probiotics on serum biochemical indexes and bile composition in patients with cholecystolithiasis.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 36353477 · doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.882764
What was done
Ninety-six patients with cholecystolithiasis were randomized into four parallel groups of 24: Group I (tauroursodeoxycholic acid, TUDCA), Group II (intestinal probiotics), Group III (TUDCA plus probiotics), and Group IV (control). All participants subsequently underwent laparoscopic gallbladder-preserving lithotomy or laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Bile samples were collected intraoperatively to evaluate biliary composition alongside changes in pre- and post-intervention serum biochemical markers.
What was found
The abstract reports significance values without absolute numbers, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Serum total bile acid (TBA), total cholesterol (TCHOL), and triglycerides changed significantly pre- to post-intervention in Groups I, II, and III (p < 0.05). Serum LDL-C changed significantly in Groups I and II (p < 0.05) but not Group III (p > 0.05). Biliary TBA, phospholipids, and TCHOL did not differ significantly between Groups I and III (p > 0.05), though differences among other group comparisons reached significance (p < 0.05). Biliary free calcium, pH, glycoprotein, cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, and deoxycholic acid differed significantly across all four groups (p < 0.05). Lithocholic acid levels were similar between Groups II and III and between Groups I and IV, but differed across other pairs (p < 0.05).
Why it matters
Modulating the gut-liver axis with probiotics may alter lithogenic bile composition in patients with gallstones, but adding TUDCA to probiotics showed no synergistic or additive effect.
Limits
Single-center study with a small sample size (24 patients per arm). The abstract does not specify the probiotic species, dosing, duration of intervention, blinding status, or absolute numerical values for outcomes. Long-term gallstone recurrence and clinical outcomes post-surgery were not assessed.
Cited by
- context Gallbladder congestion is associated with heart palpitations, and TUDCA can help alleviate this symptom.