Original Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 1997. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 15, 1997; 3(4): 255-256
Published online Dec 15, 1997. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v3.i4.255
Analysis of amino acid constituents of gallstones
Ying Chen, Lian-Lian Wang, Yu-Xia Xiao, Jing-Hua Ni, Yan Yu
Ying Chen, Lian-Lian Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
Yu-Xia Xiao, Jing-Hua Ni, Yan Yu, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China
Dr. Ying Chen, female, born on 1942-12-14 in Shanghai, graduated from Nanjing Medical University in 1966, and having 33 papers published.
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Ying Chen, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China
Telephone: +86-10-65132266-3135
Received: October 26, 1996
Revised: December 15, 1996
Accepted: April 28, 1997
Published online: December 15, 1997
Abstract

AIM: To seek drugs that will efficaciously dissolve bilirubin, glycoprotein and black stones and that will represent improved lithotriptic agents to resolve cholesterol stones, and to study the amino acid constituents of gallstones.

METHODS: According to characteristics determined by infrared spectroscopy and to the contents of bilirubin determined by semi-quantitative chemical analysis, 30 of 148 cases of gallstones were selected and divided into 5 groups. Amino acids of the 30 cases were detected by high-speed chromatography.

RESULTS: The quantity of amino acids was highest in black stones (226.9 mg/g) and lowest in pure cholesterol stones (1.4 mg/g). In the 5 groups of gallstones, the quantity of amino acids followed the hierarchy of black stone > mixed bilirubin stone and glucoprotein stone > mixed cholesterol stone > pure cholesterol stone. The proportions were: 95.95:29.02 and 28.05:5.78:1. Aliphatic amino acids accounted for approximately 50% of the total amino acids in the gallstones, with glycine accounting for 15.3% of the total amount of the 17 kinds of amino acids.

CONCLUSION: For mixed stones, the higher level of bilirubin, the higher content of amino acids. Acidic amino acids were relatively higher in bilirubin stones than in cholesterol stones.

Keywords: Gallstones; Amino acids/analysis; Bilirubin; Glycine