Biliary bile acids in uncomplicated pregnancy and in cholestasis of pregnancy

Conjugated and sulfated bile acids were determined by gas-liquid chromatography and by high-pressure liquid chromatography in gallbladder bile samples of four pregnant women at term and of two patients with cholestasis of pregnancy. In healthy pregnant women the mean ratio of cholyl/chenodeoxycholyl/deoxycholyl glycine was 3.7 : 1 : 0.23 and that of taurine conjugates 3.0 : 1 : 0.25, respectively. In gallbladder bile pool of non-pregnant females these ratios were 1.0 : 1 : 0.00 and 1.0 1 : 0.70, respectively. Thus cholic acid predominated in pregnancy bile. In patients with cholestasis of pregnancy, cholid acid comprised 90% of total biliary bile acids, the proportion of chenodeoxycholic acid was greatly decreased and nonsulfated deoxycholic acid was not detected. The proportion of sulfated bile acids of total biliary bile acids was between 0.4 and 1.2% in uncomplicated pregnancy and 0.3 and 0.5% in cholestasis patients.