Conjugation is rate limiting in hepatic transport of ursodeoxycholate in the rat

Determination of the mechanism of reaction for bile acid: CoA ligase

The reaction of cholic acid, CoA and ATP to yield cholyl-CoA was investigated by kinetic analysis of the reaction as catalysed by guinea pig liver microsomes. The enzyme has an absolute requirement for divalent cation for activity so all kinetic analyses were carried out in excess Mn2+. A trisubstrate kinetic analysis was conducted by varying, one at a time ATP cholate and CoA. Both ATP and cholate gave parallel double reciprocal plots versus CoA, which indicates a ping-pong mechanism with either pyrophosphate or AMP leaving prior to the binding of CoA. Addition of pyrophosphate to the assays changed the parallel plots to intersecting ones; addition of AMP did not. This indicates that pyrophosphate is the first product. The end-product, AMP, was a competitive inhibitor versus ATP, as was cholyl-CoA at saturating concentrations of cholate. Both AMP and cholyl-CoA were uncompetitive inhibitors versus CoA. Based on this information, it was concluded that the reaction follows a bi uni uni bi ping-pong mechanism with ATP binding first, and with the release of the final products, AMP and cholyl-CoA, being random. CoA showed substrate inhibition at high but non-saturating concentrations and this inhibition was competitive versus ATP, which is consistent with the predicted ping-pong mechanism. The ability of cholyl-CoA, but not cholate or CoA, to bind with high affinity to the free enzyme was suggestive of a high affinity of the enzyme for the thioester link.

Ursodeoxycholate stimulates Na+-H+ exchange in rat liver basolateral plasma membrane vesicles

Na+:H+ and Cl-:HCO3- exchange are localized, respectively, to basolateral (blLPM) and canalicular (cLPM) rat liver plasma membranes. To determine whether these exchangers play a role in bile formation, we examined the effect of a choleretic agent, ursodeoxycholate (UDCA), on these exchange mechanisms. 22Na (1 mM) and 36Cl (5 mM) uptake was determined using outwardly directed H+ and HCO3- gradients, respectively. Preincubation of blLPM vesicles with UDCA (0-500 microM) resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in initial rates of amiloride-sensitive pH-driven Na+ uptake, with a maximal effect at 200 microM. UDCA (200 microM) increased Vmax from 23 +/- 2 (control) to 37 +/- 7 nmol/min per mg protein; apparent Km for Na+ was unchanged. Preincubation with tauroursodeoxycholate (200 microM), taurocholate (10-200 microM) or cholate, chenodeoxycholate, or deoxycholate (200 microM) had no effect on pH-driven Na+ uptake. UDCA (200 microM) had no effect on either membrane lipid fluidity, assessed by steady-state fluorescence polarization using the probes 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, 12-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic acid, and 2-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic acid (2-AS), or Na+,K+-ATPase activity in blLPM vesicles. In cLPM vesicles, UDCA (0-500 microM) had no stimulatory effect on initial rates of HCO3(-)-driven Cl- uptake. Enhanced basolateral Na+:H+ exchange activity, leading to intracellular HCO3- concentrations above equilibrium, may account for the bicarbonate-rich choleresis after UDCA infusion.