Definition: Cholic acid is a bile acid. Cholic acid, along with chenodeoxycholic acid, is one of two major bile acids produced by the liver where it is synthesized from cholesterol.
Salts of cholic acid are called cholates. Of the two major bile acids, cholate derivatives represent approximately eighty percent of all bile acids.
These derivatives are made from cholyl-CoA which forms a conjugate with either glycine, or taurine, yielding glycocholic and taurocholic acid respectively.
Cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid are the most important human bile acids. Some other mammals synthesize predominantly deoxycholic acid.
See also
bile acids
bile secretion