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Abstract #4590

Alteration in the Conjugation Pattern of Bile Acids in Human Bile During Cholestasis: A 1H MRS Study

Tedros Bezabeh1, Omkar B. Ijare1, Nils Albiin2, Annika Bergquist3, Urban Arnelo4, Matthias Lhr3, Johannes R. Hov5, Ian CP Smith1

1National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; 2Radiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 4Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 5Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway


Conjugation of bile acids with amino acids glycine and taurine is an important phenomenon in bile formation. In healthy humans, the ratio of glycine- to taurine-conjugated bile acids is generally 3:1, and this ratio is altered in cholestatic conditions. We analyzed bile samples from patients with various cholestatic diseases and found that the median of the above ratio was 2.23:1. This alteration could be attributed to the elevation in the levels of taurine-conjugates or reduction in the levels of glycine-conjugates. Such alterations can be easily detected by 1H MRS and the technique could be valuable in the diagnosis of diseases related to bile acid synthetic defects.

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