Identification of bile alcohols in human bile.

Bile alcohols in rat bile were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Six bile alcohols were newly identified as minor constituents in addition to 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,26-tetrol, major bile alcohol of rat bile. The bile alcohols newly identified were 27-nor-5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,24,25-pentol, 5 alpha-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,26-tetrol, 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,24,26-pentol, 5 alpha-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,25,26-pentol, 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,25,26-pentol, and 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,6 beta,7 beta,25,26-pentol. The biliary bile alcohols of the rat occurred mainly as the sulfuric acid esters and, in lesser amounts, as glucuronoconjugated and unconjugated forms. The amount of total bile alcohols was about 27.9 nmol in 1 ml of bile.