Measurement of sulfated and nonsulfated bile acids in human serum and urine.

Amberlite XAD-2 was used to extract bile acids from urine or diluted serum of patients with hepatobiliary diseases. Columns containing Sephadex LH-20 were then used to separate the sulfated and nonsulfated bile acids. Thin-layer chromatography of the sulfated bile acid fraction obtained from urine revealed several spots with R(F) values different from those of the taurine or glycine conjugates. According to thin-layer chromatographic mobilities, gas-liquid chromatographic analyses, infrared spectra, and elementary analysis of the sulfated material, one of these sulfated bile acids was identified as glycochenodeoxycholic acid monosulfate, and the others were presumed to be taurochenodeoxycholic acid sulfate and glycocholic acid sulfate. A large amount of bile acid sulfate was found in urine of patients with hepatobiliary diseases. They accounted for 35.5-93.3% of total urinary bile acids and consisted of both di- and trihydroxycholanoic acids, with chenodeoxycholic acid as the major acid. Sulfated bile acids were also found in serum, and accounted for 1.8-21.2% of the total bile acids. Only dihydroxycholanoic acids (mainly chenodeoxycholic) were identified.