Toxicity of Lithocholic Acid for the Chick

Lithocholic acid is considered to be a metabolite derived from chenodeoxycholic acid by intestinal bacteria during enterohepatic circulation (Norman and Sjövall, 1960) and traces of this substance are normally found in the intestine and in the bile of most animals. Edwards (1961) reported that feeding of 0.2% lithocholic acid to chicks results in a threefold rise in serum cholesterol and in a reduction of growth. When fed to laying hens, the bile acid not only causes hypercholesterolemia but also an abrupt decrease in egg production (Edwards et al., 1962). This effect on serum cholesterol in the chick is opposite to that observed in other animals. In mice and rats, lithocholic acid decreases serum cholesterol levels and counteracts the hypercholesterolemic effect of cholic acid (Howe et al., 1960; Howe and Hutchison, 1962). During the preparation of this manuscript Leveille et al. (1962) reported a twofold increase in liver size in chicks…