Dehydrocholic Acid (DHCA) API: Choleretic Drug, Specifications & Suppliers

Dehydrocholic acid (DHCA, CAS 81-23-2) is the triketo oxidation product of cholic acid and the classic choleretic bile acid — an agent that stimulates hepatic bile secretion. For API buyers, DHCA matters as a distinct product line within the bile acid family: it is neither a gallstone dissolver (that is UDCA) nor an injectable fat-dissolving agent (that is DCA), but a choleretic with pharmaceutical, research and veterinary applications. This guide covers what DHCA is, its specifications, how it is made, and how to source it from China.

1. What is Dehydrocholic Acid?

Dehydrocholic acid belongs to the bile acid family, sharing the cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene steroid backbone of cholic acid but with all three hydroxyl groups oxidized to ketones (3,7,12-triketocholanic acid). This oxidation changes its pharmacology: DHCA is a hydrocholeretic — it increases bile water output rather than bile acid secretion itself — which made it the historical active ingredient in choleretic drug products such as Decholin.

For procurement purposes, the important distinction is where DHCA sits among the bile acids. Cholic acid (CAS 81-25-4) is the starting material and primary bile acid; deoxycholic acid (CAS 83-44-3) is the microbial 7-dehydroxylation product; UDCA (CAS 128-13-2) and TUDCA are therapeutic bile acids; and dehydrocholic acid is the oxidized choleretic variant. Each has a different monograph, impurity profile and market, so buyers should specify the exact API name and CAS on every RFQ.

Historically, DHCA was sold as Decholin and similar cholagogue products, often combined with atropine in fixed-dose preparations for biliary colic. Regulatory evolution retired most of these combinations, but the API itself remains on pharmacopoeial lists and continues to serve compounders, veterinary formulators and research laboratories. Its ketone-rich structure also makes it a chemically distinct building block: the 3,7,12-triketo configuration is stable, crystalline, and easy to characterize by melting point and HPLC — properties that simplify quality control for buyers.

2. Applications: Choleretic, Research & Chemical

The primary historical use of dehydrocholic acid API is as a choleretic in biliary tract disorders — increasing bile flow to relieve cholestasis symptoms. While modern hepatology has shifted toward UDCA for chronic cholestatic diseases (PBC, PSC, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy), DHCA remains relevant in specific product categories: fixed-combination cholagogues, veterinary choleretic formulations, and functional digestive products in certain markets.

In the research market, DHCA is a standard bile acid chemistry reagent: a substrate for studying bile acid metabolism, a reference standard in HPLC method development, and an intermediate for semi-synthetic bile acid derivatives. Its three ketone groups make it a useful scaffold for structural modification work. Research buyers typically need 99%+ purity with full impurity identification.

Because demand is smaller and more specialized than UDCA, DHCA is often sourced alongside other bile acids from the same manufacturer — a practical reason to evaluate suppliers on their full bile acid portfolio rather than a single API.

Veterinary use deserves specific mention: choleretic bile acids appear in formulations for livestock and companion animals with biliary or digestive indications, and DHCA is one of the few bile acids with an established choleretic profile suitable for such products. Veterinary buyers should confirm the VMF pathway if the finished product will be registered in a regulated market.

3. Quality Standards & Grades

Dehydrocholic acid has a USP monograph (it was among the first bile acids standardized in the US Pharmacopoeia), with assay requirements and related-substance limits reflecting its manufacturing route. Buyers for regulated markets should request a CoA stating the monograph applied, the assay result, and individual impurities — above all residual cholic acid, which indicates incomplete oxidation, and other bile acid relatives from the feedstock.

The three commercial grades map to three buyer profiles. Pharmaceutical grade (USP compliance) serves drug and veterinary formulations. Research grade (99%+ HPLC, often with NMR/IR confirmation of the triketo structure) serves laboratories and synthesis. Industrial grade serves non-regulated chemical applications at the lowest cost. Purity requirements drive the purification cost, so buyers should not specify research grade for industrial use or vice versa.

For animal-origin products, TSE/BSE documentation is the key regulatory file: DHCA is derived from bovine bile, and importers in the EU and other regulated markets require a TSE/BSE statement plus country-of-origin documentation for the bile feedstock.

Impurity control for DHCA centers on the oxidation step. Incomplete oxidation leaves cholic acid as the principal impurity; over-oxidation or side reactions can generate dehydrated and partially rearranged bile acid species. A qualified CoA reports residual cholic acid with a limit (typically not more than 1.0% for pharma grade), plus related substances on the chromatogram. Buyers comparing suppliers should ask for three consecutive batch CoAs and check the impurity trend, exactly as they would for UDCA.

Stability and storage are straightforward: DHCA is a stable crystalline solid at room temperature, sensitive to strong oxidizers but not to normal handling. Store in sealed drums, protect from moisture, and follow the retest date on the CoA. Packaging for pharma grade is typically 25 kg drums with double PE liner; research quantities ship in 1 kg aluminum bags with desiccant.

4. Sourcing Dehydrocholic Acid from China

China is the natural supply base for DHCA because the entire value chain — bovine bile collection, cholic acid extraction, oxidation and purification — is integrated in Shandong and other provinces with meat processing infrastructure. The same feedstock position that makes Chinese producers competitive in UDCA applies to DHCA: direct access to bile means lower input cost and better supply security than European or American toll processors.

Qualification follows the standard bile acid API checklist: confirm the manufacturer actually performs the oxidation step (not a trader repacking imported material); verify the CoA shows residual cholic acid within limits across consecutive batches; request the TSE/BSE statement; and confirm whether DMF support is available for regulated-market filings. For research quantities, most producers supply from 1 kg with shorter lead times.

Because DHCA is usually a secondary line for producers whose volume anchor is UDCA, buyers should confirm the manufacturer is committed to DHCA as a listed product with dedicated batch records — not a make-to-order afterthought that stretches lead times.

Lead times for DHCA are typically 2-4 weeks for research quantities and 4-6 weeks for bulk pharma grade, reflecting the oxidation and purification cycle. As with other bile acids, price is driven by cholic acid feedstock cost plus the oxidation and purification steps; DHCA generally prices below pharma-grade UDCA because it does not carry the same regulatory filing burden or demand scale.

For buyers already sourcing UDCA or DCA, adding DHCA to the same supplier reduces qualification cost: the manufacturing-site audit, TSE/BSE documentation and quality agreement extend across the bile acid family, and consolidated shipments lower logistics cost per kilogram.

5. DHCA in the Bile Acid Family

Bulk buyers of bile acid APIs benefit from single-source portfolios: KingWish supplies UDCA, TUDCA, DCA and dehydrocholic acid with consistent documentation, so qualification effort is paid once across the family. See the UDCA sourcing guide for the full procurement checklist that applies to all bile acids.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is dehydrocholic acid used for?

As a choleretic it stimulates bile secretion and was the historical treatment of choice in cholagogue preparations. Today it is used in niche pharmaceutical and veterinary cholagogues, as a research reagent and reference standard, and as a bile acid chemistry intermediate.

2. What is the CAS number of dehydrocholic acid?

81-23-2. It is distinct from cholic acid (81-25-4) and deoxycholic acid (83-44-3) — specify the CAS on every RFQ to avoid cross-specification errors.

3. How is dehydrocholic acid manufactured?

By oxidation of cholic acid, which is extracted from bovine bile. The three hydroxyl groups are oxidized to ketones. Supply chain, TSE/BSE documentation and quality controls mirror UDCA production.

4. What grades of dehydrocholic acid are available?

Pharmaceutical (USP, 98.5%+ assay), research (99%+ HPLC) and industrial grades. Request a CoA showing residual cholic acid and related bile acid impurities.

5. Can I source dehydrocholic acid API from China?

Yes — China produces DHCA through its integrated bovine bile and cholic acid chain. KingWish supplies DHCA in research and pharma grades with CoA, TSE/BSE and documentation support, alongside UDCA, TUDCA and DCA.