Cholesterol and Its Esters as Serum Biomarkers in Malignant Obstructive Jaundice: A Single Step 1H NMR Metabonomic Approach

Abhinav A. Sonkar¹, Shatakshi Srivastava², Santosh Kumar Singh¹, Hari Om Gupta¹, Devendra Singh¹, Jitendra Kushwaha¹, Abhijit Chandra³, Raja Roy²

The paucity of biomarkers for malignant obstructive jaundice results in formidable morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore, alternative diagnostic measures are required for pre-operative management of patients. In the present study, 1H NMR-based metabonomics approach has been applied to investigate small metabolites, cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in benign and malignant causes of obstructive jaundice (OBJ) for identification of serum and bile biomarkers for improved clinical interpretation. A newer, rapid and single step method for serum cholesterol : cholesterol esters estimation has been found to be efficient in differentiating malignancy.