BILIARY BILE-ACIDS OF FRUIT PIGEONS AND DOVES (COLUMBIFORMES) - PRESENCE OF 1-BETA-HYDROXYCHENODEOXYCHOLIC ACID AND CONJUGATION WITH GLYCINE AS WELL AS TAURINE

The biliary bile acid composition of 30 species of pigeons and doves b elonging to seven genera in the avian order Columbiformes was determin ed using TLC, HPLC, GLC/MS, LSIMS, and NMR. In 23 of 25 species of fru it pigeons and doves, chenodeoxycholic acid was the major bile acid (> 50%). In only 1 species (Ptilinopus ornatus) was cholic the major bile acid. A number of species (7 of 15 species in the genus Ptilinopus, a nd 6 of 9 species in the genus Ducula) contained 1 beta,3 alpha,7 alph a-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acid in proportions ranging from 2 t o 43%. This 1 beta-hydroxy derivative of chenodeoxycholic acid has not been previously identified as a major biliary bile acid in vertebrate s. Five of 15 species of the genus Ptilinopus, 5 of 9 species of the g enus Ducula, and the only species examined for the genus Gymnophaps co ntained 23R-hydroxy chenodeoxycholic acid in detectable proportions, r anging from 1 to 4%. Bile acids were conjugated (in N-acyl linkage) wi th glycine and taurine in 28 species and with only taurine in 2 specie s. The fruit pigeons are the first non-mammalian genera identified to date in whom bile acids are conjugated with glycine, as well as with t aurine. An incidental finding was that a gallbladder was present in 3 genera (Ptilinopus, Ducula, and Gymnophaps) and absent in 4 genera (Ga llicolumba, Chalcophaps, Otidiphaps, and Treron).