HPLC assay of conjugated bile acids in gastric juice during ursodeoxycholic acid (Deursil) therapy of bile reflux gastritis.
A rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the direct assay of the taurine and glycine conjugated bile acids in human gastric juice is described. After extraction with Sep-Pak C(18) cartridges, compounds are baseline resolved on a reversed-phase column and detected by UV absorption. The procedure is linear from 10 micromol l(-1) to 1200 micromol l(-1), with recovery rates ranging from 87 to 100%. The present method is applicable to the quantification of bile acid conjugates in human gastric bile with satisfactory sensitivity, selectivity and precision. Intragastric bile acid compositions in 10 patients with bile reflux gastritis during Deursil or placebo treatment are presented.