Influence of pH on the phase distribution of nascent deoxycholic acid in fresh human cecal aspirates

Prolonged large bowel transit time and an associated increase in the proportion of deoxycholic acid (DCA) in serum and bile have been implicated in the development of cholesterol-rich gallstones and colon cancer. Prolongation of interstional transit also increases intracolonic pH that, we hpothesized, should favor the solubilization and absorption of newly formed DCA within the colon.