β-Muricholic Acid

β-Muricholic acid is a murine-specific primary bile acid. Dietary administration of β-MCA reduces HMG-CoA reductase activity in liver microsomes from mice fed a high cholesterol and cholic acid diet. Dietary administration of β-MCA also dissolves 100% of gallstones in a gallstone-susceptible mouse model of diet-induced cholesterol gallstones.