The binding of intravenous and oral biliary contrast agents to human and bovine serum albumin.

The binding of two homologous series of oral and intravenous biliary contrast agents to human and bovine serum albumin was investigated using the gel filtration technique. All intravenous compounds are bound to human serum albumin via one high affinity and several low affinity binding sites. Within the concentration range investigated, about 3--5 high affinity binding sites for the oral compounds were found on human serum albumin. In general, the intravenous compounds have a greater affinity for human serum albumin than the oral compounds. No significant differences were found for the binding of the oral compounds to human or bovine serum albumin, while the intravenous compounds have a higher affinity for bovine than for human serum albumin. The significance of the plasma protein binding of the biliary contrast agents for the hepatic uptake is discussed.