AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 256, Issue 1 62-G66, Copyright © 1989 by American Physiological Society
Effect of coinfusion of cholic acid and sulfated cholic acid on bile formation in rats
I. M. Yousef, B. Tuchweber, D. Mignault and A. Weber
Department of Pharmacology, University of Montreal, Canada.
The effect of combined infusion of sulfated cholic acid and nonsulfated
cholic acid on bile formation was investigated. The data show that the
secretion of sulfated cholic acid is slower and does not share the same
transport mechanism(s) as nonsulfated cholic acid. Sulfated cholic acid
significantly increased bile flow and reduced the secretion of biliary
phospholipids, cholesterol, and protein associated with the secretion of
exogenous nonsulfated cholic acid, only when they were infused in a ratio
higher than 2:1 (sulfated:nonsulfated). Thus it is concluded that sulfated
bile acids may protect the liver against the toxic effect of high
concentration of bile acids. The relevance of these findings to human
cholestasis remains to be determined because sulfated bile acids do not
predominate in serum during cholestasis.
