An improved purification procedure for conjugated bile acids using octadecyl-bonded silica cartridges

A rapid procedure for the extraction of conjugated bile acids from human fluids using pre-packed octadecyl-bonded silica cartridges is described. The method was compared with the other procedures reported in the literature and was found to produce a higher degree of sample purification and to achieve satisfactory accuracy and reproducibility. The present procedure is applicable to the high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of bile acid conjugates in human bile, gastric juice, serum and urine.