The biliary elimination and enterohepatic circulation of ibuprofen in rats.

The biliary and urinary excretion of ibuprofen and its metabolites were determined in rats after intravenous and peroral administration of 25 and 100 mg/kg of the drug. Within 24 hours 48% of the low i.v. dose and 59% of the high i.v. dose were eliminated via bile as ibuprofen and its metabolites. Following oral administration 40 to 41% of the dose were recovered in bile, whereas 16 to 32% of the dose were eliminated in urine, resulting in an overall drug recovery of 66 to 79% within 24 hours. Upon infusion of bile containing ibuprofen and its metabolites into the duodenum substantial enterohepatic cycling of the drug occurred in the rat.