EVALUATION OF HEPATIC-METABOLISM OF SALICYLIC-ACID IN PERFUSED-RAT-LIVER

Hepatic metabolism of salicylic acid was studied using a single-pass l iver perfusion technique. Livers obtained from male, Sprague-Dawley ra ts (200-300 g) were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer c ontaining the drug (50-100 mu g/mL) and glycine (0.5 or 5 mM) or gluco se (5.5 mM) or bovine serum albumin (0.33%). Effluent samples over a 3 0-50 min interval were analyzed for salicylic acid and its metabolites (gentisic acid, salicyluric acid, and salicyl acyl and salicyl phenol ic glucuronides). Effluent concentrations of salicylic acid did not di ffer from those in the perfusate, indicating that the liver is not a s ite for the metabolism of this drug. Hepatic uptake studies are needed to confirm this finding.