Journal of Lipid Research, Vol. 7, 83-94, January 1966
Copyright © 1966 by Lipid Research, Inc.

Bile acids in the rat: studies in experimental occlusion of the bile duct

G. S. Boyd , M. A. Eastwood , and N. MaClean

Department of Biochemistry, The University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, and Department of Pathology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland

Bile acids in the plasma, urine, and small intestine of adult male rats with occluded bile ducts have been studied using a method of high specificity for their determination. After bile duct ligation cholic acid rapidly accumulates in the plasma for 8 hr, remains high for a further 8 hr, and subsequently diminishes; bile acids disappear from the small intestine. During the first 12 hr after bile duct ligation the excretion of trihydroxy acids in the urine was 10 times that of the dihydroxy acids. Subsequently the two excretion rates became equal.

Because bile acids have been implicated in the etiology of hepatic damage following bile duct ligation, studies have been made of the effect on the liver of removing (with cholestyramine) and supplementing (with cholic acid) the intestinal bile acid pool. The addition of cholestyramine to the stock diet prevented the rise in trihydroxy bile acids after bile duct ligation, but did not prevent the development of histological abnormalities in the liver. Supplementing the diet with cholic acid raised the plasma cholic acid levels but had little effect on the hepatic histological findings.

Supplementary key words bile acids • obstructive jaundice • rat • plasma • intestine • urine • etiology • hepatic necrosis • cholestyramine • cholic acid feeding

Submitted on June 22, 1964
Revised on March 8, 1965
Accepted on July 15, 1965

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