Breakdown of prothrombin and proconvertin in rats with experimental extrahepatic cholestasis.

Changes in the half-life of prothrombin and proconvertin were studied in rats with experimental extraphepatic cholestasis induced by ligation of the common bile duct. By the end of the second week of cholestasis the prothrombin activity was reduced almost by half and the proconvertin activity by more than two-thirds compared with the control. Meanwhile the half-life of prothrombin after cholestatsis for 14 days was increased by 1.f h and that of proconvertin by 4.7 h compared with the control. The slower breakdown of prothrombin and proconvertin during cholestasis is regarded as a compensatory reation.