Mass Spectrometry

Glycocholic acid is one of the bile acids in the human body. It is a conjugated bile acid formed by the combination of cholic acid and glycine, and is an essential substance in human fatty acid metabolism. Bile acids play important physiological roles in the body, including emulsifying fats, promoting bile production, and preventing gallstone formation. Under normal conditions, most bile acids participate in the enterohepatic circulation. Hepatobiliary diseases can impair the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, which is the primary cause of abnormal serum bile acid levels. Changes in the serum bile acid profile can also affect the synthesis and secretion of bile acids by the liver. Therefore, the serum glycocholic acid level is an important biomarker for evaluating hepatobiliary function.