Validation and application of a liquid-chromatographic/enzymatic assay for individual bile acids in the serum of rats.

A liquid-chromatographic technique with a post-column enzymatic reaction and fluorescence detection was validated for analysis of individual bile acids in the serum of rats. Extraction recoveries averaged 91.1% (SD 6.9%) for all bile acids. The assay was sensitive (minimum detection of 16.8 pmol per 100-microL injection), linear (r greater than 0.999 for concentrations ranging between 45 and 112,500 pmol per 100-microL injection), and reproducible (mean CVs for three different concentrations of standards and a serum pool ranged from 4.4% to 12.2%). In rats treated for three days with either neomycin, carbon tetrachloride, alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate, or total bile-duct ligation (five animals per group), total concentrations of bile acids were significantly increased (P less than 0.004). Concentrations of 16 of 17 individual bile acids differed significantly between groups (P less than 0.04). Examination of the relative concentrations (percent of total) of individual bile acids by canonical discriminant analysis placed each animal into the appropriate treatment or control group. Use of this technique in toxicological studies can help detect and identify specific types of disruptions in the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids.