PRE-PRANDIAL AND POSTPRANDIAL TOTAL SERUM BILE-ACID CONCENTRATION FOLLOWING ACUTE LIVER-DAMAGE IN DOGS

The importance of preprandial and postprandial total bile acids were i nvestigated in dogs with liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration. Six healthy and mature dogs were used. After ba se-line clinical and biochemical examinations, hepatocellular damage m as induced by oral CCl4 administration. Determinations of plasma total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), total and direct bilirubin (TBil, DBil), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) along w ith histologic ex-amination of the livers 10 days following CCl4 admin istration were conducted to ensure that hepatic damage was in fact ind uced by the CCl4 administration. Twelve h fasting preprandial and 2 h postprandial serum total bile acids (PRSBA, POSBA) concentrations were also measured. The median plasma TP, Alb, TBil and DBil concentration s did nor show any difference (P > 0.05) during the study. Plasma ALT activities increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) between on the 3rd and 10th days of tile experiment. The median serum values of PRSB A and POSBA were significantly different (P < 0.01) on the first day a nd continued to be different during the experiment. In conclusion, POS BA seemed to be more reliable than PRSBA in the diagnosis of hepatic n ecrosis.