title: Cholesterol monomer activity correlates with nucleation time in model bile.
abstract: Nucleation time (Cholesterol monohydrate crystallization) in bile has been introduced to distinguish patients with cholesterol gallstone from normal human beings. To test the hypothesis that cholesterol monomer activity correlates with nucleation time, we have examined the relationship between nucleation time, apparent cholesterol monomer activity and cholesterol monomer concentration in the aqueous phase using model biles containing bile salt, phospholipid and cholesterol. Apparent cholesterol monomer activity was inversely well correlated with nucleation time in the dilution study (r = -0.98) and in the cholesterol saturation study (r = -0.88) but positively with cholesterol monomer concentration in the aqueous phase in the dilution study (r = 0.72) and in the cholesterol saturation study (r = 0.93). The results indicate that cholesterol monomer activity reflects the nucleation time in model bile system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kyushu University Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chijiiwa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kiyosawa
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nakayama
mesh_terms: D001646:Bile; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D002784:Cholesterol; D003460:Crystallization; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol