title: Bile acid composition in snake bile juice and toxicity of snake bile acids to rats.
abstract: We determined the bile acid profiles in bile juice of snake gallbladders by HPLC on a silica gel RP-18 reversed-phase column. Cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid were predominant components in three of four snake species. To elucidate the toxic effect of snake bile acids on rats, a synthetic bile acid mixture was prepared mimicking the bile acid composition of a snake Naja naja atra bile juice. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and treated orally at 3-day intervals with saline (control group) and different doses (1-3x doses) of the bile acid mixture. After treatment, the following parameters increased: the relative ratios of liver and kidney mass to body mass, the concentrations of red blood cell, hemoglobin and hematocrit in the blood, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, plasma urea nitrogen and creatinine in the plasma, and the levels of urine urea nitrogen and creatinine in the urine. Body mass of rats and the levels of Na+, K+, Ca++ in the urine of rats were significantly decreased, especially for groups treated with 2x and 3x doses of the bile acid mixture. Examination of liver and kidney pathology also showed cell enlargement and lesion in cell integrity in treated groups, especially for groups treated with 2x and 3x bile acid mixture, indicating that short-term toxicity of snake N. naja atra bile acids was significant in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC
authors.forename: Yen-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Dar-Yi
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming-Yi
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Liau
authors.forename: Ming-Ling
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jou-Fang
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Tamao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Noguchi
authors.forename: Deng-Fwu
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D019826:Cholic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D019963:Clinical Chemistry Tests; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012911:Snakes; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; D019826:Cholic Acid