A fluorimetric and enzymatic method for the estimation of serum total bile acids.

The enzymatic technique using 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase for determining bile acids in blood has been modified by measuring the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide fluorimetrically. The increased sensitivity attained enables the concentration of total bile acids in serum to be estimated using 3 ml for normal subjects and 1 ml for jaundiced patients. The range of normal values in serum was found to be 0-4.7 mumol/litre for males and 1.0-8.2 mumol/litre for females.