Tudca (Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid) for Gut Health

Research suggests that TUDCA and its closely related bile acid compound UDCA may support gut health in the context of serious intestinal infections, particularly by moderating the host's inflammatory response rather than acting as a direct antimicrobial agent. The available evidence here consists of a single preclinical study combining laboratory experiments and a mouse model, which found that ursodiol shifted the gut bile acid environment and reduced early disease severity in Clostridioides difficile infection by activating bile acid-sensing receptors that dial down inflammatory signaling. Studies indicate this mechanism may offer a non-antibiotic approach to managing CDI recurrence, and the compound is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. However, the evidence base is quite limited at this stage, with no human clinical trial data yet available in this review, so conclusions about effectiveness in people should be drawn cautiously.