Glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC) is a toxic hydrophobic bile salt, often abbreviated as NaGCDCA. It is a detergent and surfactant used in biochemical and molecular biology for protein solubilization and membrane protein purification. It has steroid structure containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, thus making them effective in solubilizing lipids and helping in digestion of facts in the gastro intestinal tract.

Sodium glycochenodeoxycholate has been used as an additive in de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar for bile acid deconjugation to determine the capacity of the strains to deconjugate specific bile acids. Sodium glycochenodeoxycholate has been used in a study to assess the repair of DNA damage induced by bile salts. It has also been used in a study to investigate enterotoxin production by Clostridium perfringens type A in the presence of human bile salts

Solubilize membrane proteins by disrupting lipid-lipid and lipid-protein interactions. Helps in isolating and studying membrane proteins.