cholyl

Cholyl is a term used in chemistry and biochemistry to denote a substituent derived from cholic acid, the primary bile acid in many vertebrates. The suffix -yl in chemical nomenclature indicates a radical formed by removing a hydrogen atom, so cholyl designates the bile-acid–derived residue that can be linked to other molecules to form esters, amides, or other derivatives. In practice, cholyl-containing compounds include cholyl esters and cholyl amides, which appear in research contexts and in some synthetic chemistry applications.

In biological contexts, bile acids such as cholic acid are produced in the liver from cholesterol and secreted into the gastrointestinal tract as part of bile. Cholic acid is a steroidal amphipathic molecule that facilitates fat digestion by emulsifying lipids; its derivatives, including those bearing the cholyl moiety, can participate in various metabolic and transport processes. The cholyl residue thus serves as a descriptor for a portion of molecules that originate from or resemble cholic acid.

Cholyl is not a standalone natural product but a descriptive label used in chemical names to identify the cholyl moiety within larger structures. Contemporary literature often emphasizes cholic acid itself, its conjugates (such as glycocholate and taurocholate), and specific cholyl-containing derivatives rather than using cholyl as a general term except when explicitly describing the cholyl fragment in a compound.

See also: cholic acid, bile acids, bile salts, bile acid conjugates.