Dynamics of the Enterohepatic Circulation of Bile Acids

Abstract

The effect of three liquid meals on the serum level of conjugates of cholic acid was determined by radioimmunoassay. In eight healthy subjects, these bile acids peaked 90 to 120 minutes after each meal, and returned to base line by four hours. This pattern was meal related because the values remained at base line in four subjects undergoing a 22-hour fast. In five patients with cholecystectomy, conjugates of cholic acid increased to lower maxima after the first meal, and then remained elevated throughout the day, returning to base line 14 hours after the evening meal.