UC Davis

BACKGROUND: Bile acids (BAs) are cholesterol-based amphipathic surfactants that are most widely known for their contributions to lipid metabolism, but more recently have been increasingly recognized as a key signaling molecule in inflammatory diseases as well as, potentially, psoriatic disease. OBJECTIVE: This brief review reviews relevant literature in order to briefly describe the synthesis of bile acids and their subsequent metabolism and to analyze recent animal and human data that supports anti-inflammatory activity of some BAs in psoriasiform dermatitis. METHODS: Pubmed and other public sources were used to survey the literature relevant to the topic of bile acids and their potential use in psoriasis. CONCLUSION: There is clinical and preclinical evidence to support a potential role for BA Supplementation (or modulation BA metabolism and signaling) in the treatment of psoriasis.