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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

The Use of Gas Chromatography to Analyze Compositional Changes of Fatty Acids in Rat Liver Tissue during Pregnancy
Published on: March 13, 2014
Hepatic taurine, glycine and individual bile acids in early human fetus
Objective:
To examine 3alpha-hydroxy individual bile acid and the association between taurine and taurine-conjugated bile acid in human fetal liver.
Methods:
Taurine, glycine and the individual bile acids in liver samples taken from 17 human fetuses whose abortion was induced from 12 to 23 weeks' gestation were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.
Results:
The concentrations of taurine, glycine and bile acids in early fetal life were not related to gestational age. Hepatic taurine was statistically correlated with total taurine-conjugates (r = 0.798; P < 0.0001), but hepatic glycine was not correlated with glycine-conjugates (r = -0.103; P > 0.05). Lithocholic acid was conjugated exclusively with taurine.
Conclusions:
Our results supported that in human fetal life there is a considerable bile acid pool in liver, and that taurine works effectively on the bile acid metabolism depending on the hepatic taurine concentration.
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