Isolation and determination of cholesterol glucuronide in human liver

Separation of the acidic lipid fraction from human liver led to the identification of cholesterol-β-glucuronide for the first time from this organ. Cholesterol glucuronide was purified by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography and preparative silica gel thin-layer chromatography. The content in normal human liver was about 33 nmol/g wet tissue. It must be emphasized that cholesterol glucuronide cannot be distinguished readily from ganglioside GM4 by thin-layer chromatography.