Abstract
We have reported 1 , 2 the curative and preventive effect of bile acids, particularly cholic acid, in experimental deficiency lesions or erosions of the chick gizzard lining. These studies have been continued.
The basal, gizzard-factor-deficient diet employed, the care of chicks, and the methods of analysis for cholic acid and of scoring gizzard erosions were the same as previously described. 2 Chicks were deprived of food for 12 to 14 hours previous to killing since this practice causes a greater accumulation of bile in the gall bladder.
The results of further experiments (Table I) confirm our earlier report. 2 Cholic acid and dehydrocholic acid consistently show strong preventive action against gizzard erosions at 1/2% of the diet. Dehydrocholic acid, the only bile acid sufficiently non-toxic to be administered by injection, is not preventive when so given. Deoxycholic acid is undoubtedly the least effective of these bile acids.
Since our first reports, certain workers 3 , 4 have suggested that the mechanism of the effect of the bile acids is that of promoting the absorption of a fat-soluble, anti-erosion factor. A closer consideration of our results would have made it apparent that such explanation is unlikely, since deoxycholic acid is particularly known to facilitate absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins, 5 yet it is comparatively inactive against gizzard erosions.
The gall bladder bile analyses show that the anti-erosion activity is not merely a process of increasing the cholic acid in the bile. One-fourth percent of cholic acid causes the same cholic acid content per gram of dried bile but is less effective than 1/2 % cholic acid in preventing erosions. It would appear in this case, as in the experiments with injected dehydrocholic acid, that the concentration of bile acid coming in direct contact with the lining is important.
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