Abstract
The oral taurine loading test was conducted in patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), compensatory liver cirrhosis (CLC), decompensatory liver cirrhosis (DLC) and primary biliary liver cirrhosis (PBC), as well as in healthy volunteers, to evaluate changes in bile acid levels in patients with various hepatic diseases treated with taurine. Changes in blood bile acid levels, serum total cholesterol, and phospholipid were observed. Serum total bile acid levels (TBA) were significantly higher in patients with CLC, DLC and PBC than in healthy volunteers, but no effect of taurine loading was noted. The G/T ratio decreased significantly after taurine loading in patients with CH, CLC and PBC, and in healthy volunteers. In patients with DLC, however, the G/T ratio remained unchanged after taurine loading, suggesting that taurine conjugation is decreased in hepatocytes in these patients. The CA/CDCA ratio was higher in patients with PBC than in other patients, but no specific effect of taurine loading was noted. Taurine loading had no particular effect on serum total cholesterol or phospholipid. In conculusion, changes in the G/T ratio differed significantly according to the type of hepatic disease after taurine loading, suggesting that the oral taurine loading test is somewhat useful in determining pathology of hepatic diseases.
