Improved enzymatic hydrolysis of conjugated bile acids.

The hydrolysis of conjugated bile acids by cholylglycine hydrolase (EC 3.5.1.24) using the standard procedure for a commercial enzyme preparation was found to be incomplete, as judged by the use of 24-14C-taurocholic acid as a tracer. A method is proposed that incorporates the nonionic detergent Triton X-100 into the reaction mixture to achieve almost complete hydrolysis. It is proposed that the observed enhancement of enzyme activity is due to the formation of micelles by the detergent.