Bile Acids are Early Markers of TPN Associated Cholestasis!

www.jpen.sagepub.com september 2010 issue.
The study group included 22 term and preterm newborns (group T1) who had received at least 75% of the required energy via parenteral nutrition for 3–15 days. Analyses of conjugated BAs were performed using the high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method. The authors’ results suggest that there is an early increase in glycine- and taurine-conjugated BAs in the plasma of newborns receiving PN for 3–15 days compared with healthy controls (CN, n = 15) and patients before PN (T0, n = 9). More specifically, patients receiving PN had significantly increased levels of glycocholic acid, taurocholic acid, and combined taurochenodeoxycholic + taurodeoxycholic + tauroursodeoxycholic acids.

Bile acids correlate quite well with histological liver damage than bilirubin and hence early recognition and modification of TPN or cycling of TPN or use of omega-3 fatty acid fish oil emulsion may prevent severe form of cholestasis-Nadia Ovchinsky commented on the study.