Serum levels of total bile acids (A) and relative abundance of taurine- (B) and glycine- (C) conjugated species in non-cholestatic donors and patients with biliary obstruction before and after biliary stenting.

Bile acids were quantified as indicated in the “Experimental Procedures” section. Concentrations (A) and relative abundance of tauro- (B) and glyco-bile acids (C) in biliary stenosis patients (17 donors) before and after stenting were compared to those from a non-cholestatic group (40 volunteers). A: Total bile acids: sum of all 17 species. B: Percentage of taurine conjugates: sum of taurine-conjugated acids divided by the sum of all bile acids. C: Percentage of glycine conjugates: sum of glycine-conjugated acids divided by the sum of all bile acids. Graphics represent the mean ± SEM. P-values were determined by the Wilcoxon/Mann-Whitney rank-sum test. **: p