Deoxycholic acid is available as a generic medication in the United States as of April 2021, sold under the brand name Kybella among others.

[citation needed] In research deoxycholic acid is used as a mild detergent for the isolation of membrane associated proteins.

[11] Sodium deoxycholate mixed with phosphatidylcholine, is used in mesotherapy injections to produce lipolysis, and has been used as an alternative to surgical excision in the treatment of lipomas.

[12] Deoxycholates and bile acid derivatives in general are actively being studied as structures for incorporation in nanotechnology.

[14] In the United States, deoxycholic acid, under the brand name Kybella, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for reducing moderate-to-severe fat below the chin.

[19] Deoxycholic acid binds and activates the membrane enzyme NAPE-PLD, which catalyzes the release of the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide and other N-acylethanolamines.

These bioactive signaling molecules play important roles in several physiological pathways including stress and pain response, appetite, and lifespan.

[20] Some publications point towards the effect of deoxycholic acid as an immunostimulant[21][22] of the innate immune system, activating its main actors, the macrophages.

Clinical studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s confirm the expectation that deoxycholic acid is involved in the natural healing processes of local inflammations,[23][24] different types of herpes,[25][26] and possibly cancer.

However, this same study reported that, when chlorogenic acid was added to the diet alongside deoxycholate, only 18% of the mice developed colon cancer.

A number of factors, including diet, obesity, and exercise, affect the level of deoxycholate in the human colon.

[52] There is a positive association of exercise and physical activity with cancer prevention, tolerance to cancer-directed therapies (radiation and chemotherapy), reduction in recurrence, and improvement in survival.