An 125I radioimmunoassay for primary conjugated bile salts.

Cholylglycylhistamine, a derivative of cholic acid, has been synthesized and characterized. This derivative has been iodinated using Na125I and chloramine-T and purified free from unlabeled cholylglycylhistamine. Application of this iodinated bile salt derivative to radioimmunoassay of bile salts in human serum is reported. Antibody titers have uniformly increased over titers used in tritium-based assays; some antibodies are usable in dilutions of 1:80,000. The radioimmunoassay described here was found to measure predominantly the primary conjugated bile salts. Sensitivity has been maintained, with the least detectable amount being 0.5 pmoles per assay tube. Normal values in human serum are 3.47 +/- 2.16 (SD) nmoles per ml.