The formation of bile acids/bile alcohols is of major importance for the maintenance of
cholesterol homeostasis. Besides their functions in lipid absorption, bile acids/bile alcohols
are regulatory molecules for a number of metabolic processes. Their effects are structure-
dependent, and numerous metabolic conversions result in a complex mixture of biologically
active and inactive forms. Advanced methods are required to characterize and quantify
individual bile acids in these mixtures. A combination of such analyses with analyses of the …