AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR MEASURING HUMAN BLOOD BILE ACIDS

A new method for measuring human blood bile acids was developed. The alkaline hydrolysis of conjugated bile acids was replaced by an enzymic one. The enzyme was prepared from Clostridium perfringens (Welchii), which was characterized by kinetic data. Bile acids, deoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic and cholic acids were measured by gas chromatography of their acetate methyl esters. The quantitative analysis was improved by using 23-nor-deoxycholic acid as an internal standard. The purification of the samples was also simplified, thus permitting a routine analysis. Values for normal subjects range between 1 and 4 μg/ml. Increases up to a total of 100 μg/ml were found in various cases of hepatic disorder. It was calculated that 80% ± 10% of the bile acids are present in blood plasma; the rest is bound to the corpuscles. © 1968.