Influence of various bile salts on beta-glucuronidase activity of intestinal bacteria.

While the decrease of the beta-glucuronidase activity of sonicated cells of Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli was obvious for sodium deoxycholate (DC), it was not so obvious for other bile salts (sodium glycocholate and sodium cholate). The enzyme activity of intact cells of these bacteria was significantly enhanced by the presence of DC, but not by the other bile salts in the buffer. These results suggest that the permeability of the bacterial cells is increased more by the presence of DC than by other bile salts.