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Muricholic acids are a group of bile acids found as one of the main forms in mice, which gives them their name, and at low concentrations in other species. Muricholic acids differ from the more common bile acids, such as cholic acid or chenodeoxycholic acid, by having a hydroxyl group at the 6-position. They are detectable at low concentrations in human urine.
The three major bile acids in germ-free mice are cholic acid, α-muricholic, and β-muricholic acids. In conventional mice, ω-muricholic acid, and various sulfated forms are also found. Conjugation with taurine (to give tauro-murocholic acids) or glycine (to give gly-murocholic acids) takes place in the liver before secretion.
Tauro-muricholic acids were shown to be potent antagonists of the bile acid receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR).