The determination and excretion of individual human fecal bile acids.

A fluorometric method, using resazurin, for the analysis of individual fecal bile acids separated by thin layer chromatography of crude fecal extracts is described. The method is precise and accurate. The assay was used to investigate the constancy of excretion of individual fecal bile acids in small random stool samples collected over three weeks in six humans. Relatively small but significant variations were found in each case, most were random but one was progressive.