BITE ACID METABOLISM IN ANALBUMINEMIC RATS

The bile acid concentrations in the serum, liver, bile, intestines, an d feces of 3- and 19-mon-old male and female Nagase analbuminemic (NA) rats were compared with those in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. There was no significant difference in the bile acid revels between NA and SD ra ts. However, increased biosynthesis and pool size of cholic acid (CD) derivatives and decreased levels of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) deriv atives (increased CA/CDCA ratio) were detected in male NA rats as comp ared to SD rats. The CA/CDCA ratio in female NA rats was not different from that in their SD counterparts. There were no significant differe nces between NA and SD rats in the biliary bile flow, bile acid levels in the small and large intestines, fecal bile acid excretion, bile ac id concentration in the portal and systemic circulation, and in the po ol size of bile acids. The blood lipid concentrations were significant ly higher in the NA rats than in the SD rats. The hepatic levels of li pids were not significantly different between the two rat Strains. In conclusion, this study showed that metabolism of bile acids in NA rats is not significantly affected, and that the hypercholesterolemia obse rved in these strains is not related to abnormalities of bile acid met abolism.