title: Biliary bile acids, bile alcohols, and sterols of Alligator mississippiensis.
abstract: Bile from Alligator mississippiensis was found to contain a mixture of more than twenty bile acids, bile alcohols, and neutral sterols. Bile acids and bile alcohols were purified by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. Concentrations were measured by gas-liquid chromatography on 1% HiEFF-8BP and identifications were made by mass spectrometry. The major neutral sterols consisted of 98% cholesterol and 0.8% cholestanol. Bile acids recovered from the acidic fraction were 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid (61%), 3 alpha, 7 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid (9%), 3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 alpha-cholestanoic acid (8%), and 3-oxo-7 alpha, 12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid (10%). Other C27 bile acids identified were: 3 alpha, 12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid, 7-oxo-3 alpha, 12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 beta-cholestanoic acid, and 3-oxo-7 alpha, 12 alpha-dihydroxy-5 alpha-cholestanoic acid. Small quantities of C24 cholic, 5 alpha-cholic, chenodeoxycholic, and ursodeoxycholic acids were also detected, as were trace amounts of the C27 bile alcohols 5 alpha-cholestane-3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 26-tetrol, and 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha, 7 alpha, 12 alpha, 25-tetrol. These results suggest that the alligator is acpable of synthesizing both the 5 alpha and 5 beta-isomers of the C27 bile acids. The small amounts of the C24 bile acids present might originate either from C27 bile acid or bile alcohol precursors or from exogenous sources.
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000032:analysis*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000032:analysis; D002777:Cholestanols / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012104:Reptiles / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002777:Cholestanols; D002784:Cholesterol