Diabetes-induced bile acid composition changes in rat bile determined by high performance liquid chromatography

The distribution of glycine and taurine conjugated bile acids in bile from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Biliary bile acid output in diabetic rats was significantly greater compared to control (p less than 0.001). The increase is not a generalized effect of diabetes, but is the preferential increased production of taurochenodeoxycholic acid. These observed changes in bile acid composition may represent greater capacity of bile from diabetic rats to solubilize cholesterol. In the absence of a gallbladder, however, rat bile undergo continuous enterohepatic circulation, and consequently is not subjected to modifications by gallbladder epithelial cells that would potentiate cholesterol precipitation.