Secondary bile acids include which?

Secondary bile acids include which?

• A. Deoxycholic and Lithocholic Acids
• B. Cholic and Chenodeoxycholic Acids
• C. Ursodeoxycholic and Chenodeoxycholic Acids
• D. Deoxycholic and Cholic Acids

Answer: (A)

Bile acids are classified as primary or secondary. Primary bile acids are made in the liver and include cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. When these reach the gut, certain bacteria modify them to form secondary bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid from cholic acid and lithocholic acid from chenodeoxycholic acid. So the pair that consists of both secondary bile acids is deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid. The other options mix a primary bile acid with a secondary one (or include a secondary that isn’t paired with another secondary), which is why they aren’t the correct pair.

Bile acids are classified as primary or secondary. Primary bile acids are made in the liver and include cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid. When these reach the gut, certain bacteria modify them to form secondary bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid from cholic acid and lithocholic acid from chenodeoxycholic acid. So the pair that consists of both secondary bile acids is deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid. The other options mix a primary bile acid with a secondary one (or include a secondary that isn’t paired with another secondary), which is why they aren’t the correct pair.