Human beta-glucuronidase. Measurement of its activity in gallbladder bile devoid of intrinsic interference

Our purpose is to develop a standard method for preparing the bile for beta-glucuronidase determination by removal of bile acids and conjugated bilirubin which interfere with its activity. The bile acids and conjugated bilirubin in their purified solutions and in the diluted gallbladder biles could be extracted completely with cholestyramine in powder form or tetrahexylammonium chloride (THAC) in chloroform or ethyl acetate. The enzyme was, however, partially precipitated with cholestyramine and denatured by chloroform but not by ethyl acetate. A standard procedure, therefore, includes extraction of the diluted gallbladder bile with THAC in ethyl acetate, followed by determination of the maximal velocity (Vmax) of the enzyme by a kinetic method employing phenolphthalein glucuronide as the substrate. The average Vmax of beta-glucuronidase in the 20 normal gallbladder biles was 165 +/- 86 nmol/min/ml (mean +/- SD), a 23.5-fold increase over the activity before extraction. The measured activity represented the true activity of the enzyme in the bile for recovery of activity of the enzyme added to the bile was practically complete.