CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF BILE ACIDS AND THEIR PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

The main roles of bile acids as amphiphilic molecules are the micellar solubilization of the lipids, in the course of the welding process and the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis, which is essential as a precursor for the synthesis of bile acids. From the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces of bile acids directly depends the level of their attachment to the receptors, ion channels and their effectiveness in the solubilization of lipid (hydrophobic drugs). The toxicity of membrane of bile acids is mainly determined by their hydrophobicity. We have synthesized the methyl ester of 7 alpha-hydroxy-3-oxo-5 beta-cholanoic acid. We have reviewed and discussed the effects of the structure of bile acids to their hydrophobicity, which is expressed by the retention parameters by reverse phase chromatography, and hydrophobic properties, which is represented by partition coefficient 1-octanol / water. It also discusses the role of the lipophilicity of bile acids in their interactions with biological systems.