COMPARATIVE-STUDIES ON BILE-FLOW AND BILIARY LIPID EXCRETION AFTER BILE-ACID LOADING IN NORMAL AND PARTIALLY HEPATECTOMIZED RATS

This study was performed to investigate sequential changes in bile sec retion and biliary lipids after taurocholic acid (TCA) loading of rege nerating rat liver. TCA was administered intravenously at stepwise-inc reasing doses to groups of non-operated control and partially hepatect omized rats, 24, 72 and 168 h after surgery. Bile flow, bile-acid outp ut (BAG) and phospholipid output (PLO) (expressed per gram of liver) i n partially hepatectomized rats increased more than in the controls. U sing an isolated perfusion rat-liver system, TCA infusion was also car ried out on groups of non-operated control and hepatectomized rats 72 h after operation. Again bile how, BAO and PLO (expressed per gram of liver) were significantly higher in the partial hepatectomy case, mirr oring the results obtained in vivo. When horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was pulse-loaded in isolated perfusion preparations, the second peak o f biliary HRP secretion in hepatectomized rats was significantly highe r than in controls. We conclude that increased bile-acid flow in parti ally hepatectomized rats is dependent upon acceleration of vesicular t ransport accompanying or following proliferation in regenerating liver s.