Bile Salts

Bile Salts

Bile Salts, If bilirubin is found in your urine, it may be a sign that you have: A liver disease, such as hepatitis or cirrhosis. A blockage in your bile ducts, the small tubes that carry bile out of your liver.

Bile salts are one of the primary components of bile. Bile is a greenish-yellow fluid made by your liver and stored in the gallbladder. 

• Composition and Structure:

  • Bile salts are derived from cholesterol.
  • They consist of a bile acid conjugated with either glycine or taurine.
  • Common bile acids include cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid.

• Function:

  • Emulsification: Bile salts emulsify fats, breaking them down into smaller droplets. This increases the surface area for digestive enzymes, like lipase, to act on, facilitating fat digestion.
  • Micelle Formation: They help in the formation of micelles, which are tiny aggregates that transport fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and lipids to the intestinal mucosa for absorption.

• Recycling:

  • Bile salts are recycled through enterohepatic circulation. After aiding in digestion, they are reabsorbed in the ileum and returned to the liver to be reused.
  • This recycling process ensures efficient use of bile salts and minimizes the need for their synthesis.

• Clinical Significance:

  • Gallstones: An imbalance in the composition of bile can lead to the formation of gallstones, which are often composed of cholesterol.
  • Malabsorption: Conditions affecting bile salt production or secretion can lead to fat malabsorption and deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins.
  • Liver Disease: Liver diseases can impair bile salt production and secretion, affecting digestion and overall health.

Hay’s Sulphur Test:

Principle:

Bile salts lower the surface tension of urine, and hence sulfur sinks to the bottom.

Interference:

Bile Salts Present.

Procedure:

• Take 3ml of urine in a test tube and sprinkle a Pinch of sulfur Powder.
• Control: 3ml water + 3 Pinch of sulfur Powder.

Observation:

Test: Sulphus Powder sinks to the bottom Control: Sulphur Powder floats.