The role of the gallbladder in humans

Abstract

The basic function of the gallbladder in humans is one of protection. The accumulation of the primary bile acids (cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid) in the gallbladder reduces the formation of the secondary bile acids (deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid), thus diminishing their concentration in the so-called gallbladder-independent enterohepatic circulation and protecting the liver, the stomach mucosa, the gallbladder, and the colon from their toxic hydrophobic effects. The presence or absence of the gallbladder in mammals is a determining factor in the synthesis of hydrophobic or hydrophilic bile acids. Because the gallbladder contracts 5-20 min after food is in the stomach and the "gastric chyme" moves from the stomach to the duodenum 1-3 h later, the function of the gallbladder bile in digestion may be insignificant. The aim of this article was to provide a detailed review of the role of the gallbladder and the mechanisms related to bile formation in humans.

Keywords: Absorción; Absorption; Bile acids; Cancer; Cholecystectomy; Cholesterol; Circulación enterohepática; Colecistectomía; Colesterol; Cálculos biliares; Cáncer; Enterohepatic circulation; Gallbladder; Gallstones; Lipoproteins; Lipoproteínas; Vesícula; Ácidos biliares.