Perinatal bile acid metabolism: bile acid analysis of meconium of preterm and full-term infants.
BACKGROUND
Our purpose was to evaluate the metabolism of bile acids in the fetus by analyzing the bile acid composition of meconium of preterm (less than 30 weeks' gestational age) and full-term infants and comparing the results with the bile acid composition of feces of preterm and full-term infants 6 days after delivery.


METHODS
The concentrations of individual bile acids were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after solvolysis and hydrolysis of bile acid conjugates.


RESULTS
In meconium, the main bile acids were chenodeoxycholic and hyocholic acids. The main bile acid of feces from preterm infants at 6 days of age was the same as that of meconium. We also detected large amounts of secondary bile acids, especially deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid. The ratio of cholic acid relative to chenodeoxycholic acid in meconium of preterm and full-term infants and in feces of preterm infants was less than 1, 0.36, 0.55, and 0.55, respectively. The percentage of chenodeoxycholic acid relative to total bile acids in meconium of preterm (P < 0.05) and full-term (P < 0.01) infants was significantly higher than that in feces of 6-day-old full-term infants.


CONCLUSIONS
More than half of the main pathway, at least, for bile acid synthesis in preterm infants may be the acidic pathway until the infants reach about 7 days of age.
Kumagai
Masami
M
Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume 830-0011, Japan.
Kimura
Akihiko
A
Takei
Hajime
H
Kurosawa
Takao
T
Aoki
Kumiko
K
Inokuchi
Takahiro
T
Matsuishi
Toyojiro
T
D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002793:Cholic Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000378:metabolism*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008470:Meconium / Q000378:metabolism*
D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002793:Cholic Acids; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; C004821:muricholic acid