Analysis of the conjugated bile acid distribution in human intestinal aspirates using gas liquid chromatography

The conjugated bile acid pattern was evaluated in intestinal aspirates of five normal subjects and five patients known to have an abnormal bile acid distribution. The glycine/taurine (G/T) ratios for total bile acids were determined by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) and by enzymatic assay using 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (STDH). By both methods G/T ratios in normal samples approximated 3.0 as previously reported. A discrepancy between ratio values obtained by the two methods was found in patient samples. It is suggested that the presence of keto bile acids in patient aspirates correlates with this discrepancy. The G/T ratios for individual bile acids were obtained by GLC. The G/T ratio for cholic acid was higher than previously reported. Recovery studies showed that a loss of taurocholic acid in the extraction procedure employed did not account for the high G/T-cholic acid.