[Role of bile acids in the development of peptic lesions. Studies on the bile acid-binding capacity of a new kind of antacid].

Bile acids are a factor in the pathogenesis of peptic lesions of the mucosa. The introduction in the literature of the term type C gastritis reflects the recognition of this fact. It is possible that antacids develop their effect not merely via the neutralization of hydrochloric acid, but, to an appreciable extent, through the adsorption of toxic substances. Since antacids often elevate the gastric pH only slightly, we investigated bile acid binding not only as a function of dose, but also at low pH values. The aim of the study was, in a follow-on to previous studies of a layer-lattice antacid to describe the characteristics of an antacid of the mixed type (aluminium-magnesium hydroxide + smectite). Already at neutral pH, Gelofalk manifests a high level of bile acid absorption, which increases further at low pH values. The high bile acid absorption capacity of Gelofalk shows no correlation with decreasing bile acid polarity; the dose-dependency is lower at high than at low pH levels. This indicates that bile acid absorption by Gelofalk must, at least in part, involve other mechanisms than those operative in the case of pure layer-lattice antacids.