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Deoxycholic acid (DCA) is the bile acid behind the first FDA-approved injectable fat-dissolution therapy — and it remains a niche, high-value API for formulators who understand its dual identity: a pharmaceutical active ingredient and a research-grade biochemical with detergent properties. This guide covers what buyers need to verify before sourcing DCA: monograph compliance (EP/USP), the poultry-bile supply chain, impurity profiles, and the documentation package that separates pharmaceutical-grade material from lab reagent.
1. What is Deoxycholic Acid?
Deoxycholic acid (DCA, CAS 83-44-3) is a secondary bile acid with the molecular formula C24H40O4 and a molecular weight of 392.57 g/mol. Unlike primary bile acids synthesized directly in the liver (cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid), DCA is formed in the intestine when gut bacteria dehydroxylate cholic acid at the 7-alpha position. This structural difference matters commercially: DCA is one of the more hydrophobic common bile acids, which gives it the detergent-like cell-disrupting properties that make it pharmaceutically useful.
Commercially, DCA is produced not by bacterial fermentation but by chemical reduction of bile acid intermediates derived from poultry bile. The starting material links DCA to the same supply chain as UDCA and CDCA — bile acid manufacturers who operate CDCA extraction lines can produce all three from one upstream source. This is why China, with its integrated poultry-bile processing clusters, is the dominant global supplier of the entire bile acid API family.
2. Applications: Pharmaceutical and Beyond
DCA occupies an unusual position in the API market because demand splits across two distinct buyer groups:
- Injectable fat-dissolution (pharmaceutical): DCA is the active ingredient in the first FDA-approved injectable treatment for submental (under-chin) fat reduction, approved in 2015. The mechanism relies on DCA's cytolytic effect — it physically disrupts adipocyte cell membranes when injected locally. Formulators working in this space require injectable-grade material with endotoxin control, far stricter than general chemical-grade DCA.
- Research and biochemical (laboratory): DCA is a standard component of cell lysis buffers (RIPA buffer), bile salt media for microbiology (deoxycholate agar for enteric bacteria), and liposome preparation. Research buyers accept reagent grade but still need reproducible purity.
- Synthesis intermediate: DCA serves as the starting material for deoxycholate salts (sodium deoxycholate, CAS 302-95-4) and for the synthesis of various bile acid derivatives used in drug delivery research.
3. Quality Standards: EP/USP Monographs and Injectable Grade
DCA is a pharmacopoeia-controlled substance with both EP and USP monographs. For API buyers, the critical distinction is the intended use, because the specification sets differ dramatically:
Key specification parameters
- Assay: ≥99.0% by titration (typical HPLC purity 99.0-99.5% for pharma grade)
- Related substances: CDCA ≤0.5%, chenodeoxycholic acid ≤0.5%, total impurities ≤1.0%
- Specific optical rotation: per EP/USP monograph (verifies stereochemical identity)
- Residual solvents: ICH Q3C limits — methanol and ethyl acetate are the common residues from purification
- Injectable-grade additions: bacterial endotoxins <0.5 EU/mg, bioburden and particulate specifications
Buyers sourcing DCA for an injectable product should demand the injectable-grade specification set up front — the gap between "EP-compliant chemical" and "injection-ready API" is significant, and qualifying a new grade later doubles your regulatory work.
4. Sourcing Deoxycholic Acid from China
China supplies the majority of the global bile acid API family, with production concentrated in Shandong and Henan provinces where poultry bile collection is integrated with the poultry processing industry. When evaluating Chinese DCA suppliers, buyers should check the following:
- Upstream integration: Does the supplier control CDCA extraction, or do they buy intermediates? Integrated producers offer better batch consistency and traceability for the animal-origin raw material.
- GMP status: DCA for pharmaceutical use must come from a GMP-certified facility. For injectable applications, expect questions about sterile filtration capability and endotoxin control.
- TSE/BSE documentation: Because the raw material is poultry bile, regulators may still require a TSE/BSE risk assessment and statements of animal-origin origin for the bile source. A serious supplier provides this without being asked.
- Batch traceability: Bile acid APIs should be traceable from the finished drum back to the bile collection batch. Audit the supplier's traceability system, not just their CoA.
Typical commercial terms: 1 kg trial quantities for method validation, 25 kg drums as the standard commercial package, and 4-8 week lead times for new production batches. For more on China API procurement generally, see our 6-step China sourcing guide.
5. KingWish Deoxycholic Acid Supply Capability
KingWish supplies the full bile acid family from our Shandong-based partner network — UDCA (our flagship, 40+ MT/year), CDCA, CDCA, and deoxycholic acid — with shared documentation infrastructure: GMP certificates, batch CoAs with HPLC data, MSDS, TSE/BSE statements, and DMF/CEP support where applicable. Because we operate the same quality gates across the entire bile acid portfolio, buyers adding DCA to an existing UDCA program get consistent documentation and one point of contact.
For the full picture of the bile acid landscape, see our hepatology API guide and the UDCA vs CDCA comparison.
Standards: GMP Certified | FDA VMF 005884 | CEP 2024-135-REV 00 | Bile acid family supplier since 2006
CoA & TSE/BSE documentation available | August 2026
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6. Frequently Asked Questions
Deoxycholic acid (DCA, CAS 83-44-3) has two main pharmaceutical uses. First, it is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in injectable fat-dissolution products (ATX-101) approved for submental fat reduction. Second, it serves as an intermediate in the synthesis of bile acid derivatives and as a component of injectable formulations where its detergent properties improve solubility of lipophilic drugs. It is also widely used in microbiology media and in cell biology research.
Deoxycholic acid is produced from CDCA via chemical reduction (deoxygenation at the 7-alpha position). CDCA itself is extracted from poultry bile, making the entire bile acid family animal-origin products. Leading manufacturers extract and purify bile acid intermediates from poultry bile collected as a byproduct of the poultry processing industry, then convert them to DCA through catalytic hydrogenation. Synthetic alternative routes exist but are less economical at commercial scale.
Deoxycholic acid is described in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monographs. Key quality parameters include assay (typically ≥99.0% by titration or HPLC), related substances limits (cholic acid and other bile acid impurities), specific optical rotation, and residual solvents. For injectable-grade material, endotoxin limits and bioburden specifications are additional requirements. Always request a batch CoA with HPLC chromatograms.
Request at minimum: (1) batch Certificate of Analysis against EP or USP monograph with HPLC data; (2) Method of Analysis; (3) MSDS; (4) GMP certificate covering the production facility; (5) Certificate of Origin; and (6) for animal-origin materials, a statement of poultry origin and TSE/BSE risk assessment documentation. For injectable-grade DCA, also request endotoxin test results and sterility or bioburden data.
Both are bile acids but with opposite therapeutic profiles. UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid) is hydrophilic, hepatoprotective, and FDA-approved for PBC treatment and gallstone dissolution. DCA (deoxycholic acid) is hydrophobic with detergent-like properties; it is used as an injectable fat-dissolution agent rather than an oral therapeutic. They are positional isomers (7-alpha vs 7-beta hydroxyl), produced from the same poultry bile starting material via different reduction routes.