Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 32, 829-841, Copyright © 1991 by Lipid Research, Inc.
Bile acids and bile alcohols in a child with hepatic 3 beta-hydroxy- delta 5-C27-steroid dehydrogenase deficiency: effects of chenodeoxycholic acid treatment
H Ichimiya, B Egestad, H Nazer, ES Baginski, PT Clayton and J Sjovall
Department of Physiological Chemistry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Duodenal bile, urine, plasma, and feces from a child with hepatic 3
beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid dehydrogenase deficiency were analyzed by
fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass
spectrometry to investigate the formation and excretion of abnormal bile
acids and bile alcohols. The biliary bile salts consisted of glycocholic
acid (25%) and of sulfated and glycine conjugated di- and
trihydroxycholenoic acids (55%), two C27 bile acids, and eleven sulfated
bile alcohols (mainly tetrols, 20%), all having 3 beta,7 alpha-
dihydroxy-delta 5 or 3 beta,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-delta 5 ring
structures. In plasma, sulfated cholenoic acids constituted 65% and
unconjugated 3 beta,7 alpha-dihydroxy-5-cholestenoic acid 25% of the total
level, 71 micrograms/ml. The urinary excretion of the former was 30.4
mg/day and that of unsaturated bile alcohol sulfates, mainly pentols, 7
mg/day. The predominant bile acid in feces was an unconjugated epimer of 3
beta,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-5-cholenoic acid, and small amounts of
cholic acid were present. The minimum total excretion was 11.3 mg/day.
Treatment with chenodeoxycholic acid resulted in marked clinical
improvement and normalized liver function tests. Further studies are needed
to define the mechanism of action. Plasma bile acids decreased to 1.6
micrograms/ml and urinary excretion to 3.4 mg/day. Chenodeoxycholic and
ursodeoxycholic acids became predominant in all samples. The fecal
excretion of unsaturated cholenoic acid sulfates increased to 40 mg/day
compared to 89 mg/day of saturated bile acids. The results provide further
support for a defective hepatic 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5-C27-steroid
dehydrogenase deficiency, and indicate that the 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5 bile
acids are formed via 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol. The formation of
glycocholic acid may be due to an incomplete enzyme defect or to
transformation of the 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5 structure by bacterial and
hepatic enzymes during an enterohepatic circulation.