Glycochenodeoxycholic Acid Unit Converter

Glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA) is a glycine-conjugated primary bile acid. It is formed in the liver when chenodeoxycholic acid, one of the two main bile acids produced from cholesterol, is joined to the amino acid glycine.

GCDCA is the most abundant bile acid in human blood, representing roughly 34% of measured serum bile acids. Humans preferentially conjugate bile acids with glycine over taurine at a ratio of about 3:1, which is why GCDCA dominates the circulating bile acid pool.

Because the liver efficiently clears bile acids from portal blood, serum levels remain low in healthy individuals. Elevated GCDCA is a sensitive indicator of impaired liver clearance or disrupted bile flow.

Hepatocytes in the liver synthesize chenodeoxycholic acid from cholesterol, then conjugate it with glycine using the enzyme bile acid-CoA:amino acid N-acyltransferase (BAAT). The resulting GCDCA is secreted into bile, participates in fat digestion in the small intestine, and is reabsorbed in the distal ileum to recirculate back to the liver.