Na-taurodeoxycholate acts as a specific intestinal stimulus of exocrine pancreatic secretion in man.

The effect of intraduodenally administered cattle bile, Na-taurodeoxycholate, and Na-taurocholate on secretin-stimulated exocrine pancreatic secretion was investigated on 40 fasting young healthy volunteers. Intraduodenal bile stimulated significantly and dose-dependently hydrokinetic and ecbolic pancreatic secretion. Only bile, but not secretin intravenously, both applied in a dosage equivalent with respect to their hydrokinetic action, caused a significant increase of enzyme output and enzyme concentration as well. Intraduodenal Na-taurodeoxycholate enhanced also dose-dependently secretin-stimulated volume, bicarbonate, and enzyme secretion. The effect was related to the load, not to the concentration of this bile salt. On the other side, Na-taurocholate had only a weak and not dose-dependent hydrokinetic and no ecbolic effect. It is concluded that not bile salts in general, but only certain of them--like Na-taurodeoxycholate--are the effective constituents of bile, acting as specific intraduodenal stimulants of hydrokinetic and ecbolic pancreatic secretion.