Abstract

The enzymatic technique using 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase for determining bile acids in blood has been modified by measuring the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide fluorimetrically. The increased sensitivity attained enables the concentration of total bile acids in serum to be estimated using 3 ml for normal subjects and 1 ml for jaundiced patients. The range of normal values in serum was found to be 0-4·7 μmol/litre for males and 1·0-8·2 μmol/litre for females.