UDP-glucuronyltransferase activity toward harmol in human liver and human fetal liver cells in culture

This paper presents a fast HPLC assay for measuring UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) activity in extracts of adult human liver and human fetal liver cells in culture. Harmol glucoronide formed was quantitated directly without prior hydrolysis after a simple step of selective extraction of harmol. The method is applicable to crude liver homogenates as well as to partially fractionated preparations. It is several fold more sensitive than the conventional detection of harmol glucuronide by TLC, making it possible to distinguish the low and high affinity forms of UDPGT of adult human liver and to detect the low affinity form in fetal cells. The possible participation of both forms of GT in adults under different conditions and the apparent lack of the high affinity form in the fetal liver is discussed.