Growth Stimulation and Anti-apoptotic Properties of a Novel Ursodeoxycholic Lysophosphatidylethanolamide in HepG2 cells: Implications for Treatment of Liver Diseases

Homeostasis of phospholipids is altered during pathogenesis of liver diseases including alcohol and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). There is no generally accepted drug therapy to treat these diseases. Hepatic phosphatidylcholine (PC) is often depleted. As a therapy strategy, we synthesized a bile acid-phospholipid conjugate which targets hepatocytes via the bile acid transport system. We performed amide coupling between ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) to form ursodeoxycholic lysophosphatidylethanolamide (UDCA-LPE). For uptake studies and metabolism in HepG2 cells, fluores…