Reduced bile output with chronic enteral and parenteral infusion of amino acids, glucose, and fat emulsion in rabbits.

To assess the effect of chronic administration of amino acids, glucose, and fat on hepatic excretory function, bile flow and bile salt secretion were directly measured in adult rabbits alimented either intravenously or intragastrically. Five groups of animals were studied after 9-11 days on different nutritional regimes: the first, controls, received 154 mM NaCl intravenously and rabbit chow ad libitum; the second, 2.5% amino acid-10% glucose-10% fat emulsion intravenously; the third, the same nutrients intragastrically; the fourth, reduced intake of rabbit chow to match the weight change in the intragastrically fed animals; the fifth was allowed rabbit chow ad libitum and then received the nutrient solutions intragastrically only during bile collection. Bile was collected directly at laparotomy from the common bile duct during three 1-h periods: a basal period when no exogenous bile salt was infused, then with the addition of 1, and finally 2 mumol/min/kg of glycodeoxycholic acid, the main bile acid of rabbits. During the 3-h experiment either saline (control) or the nutrient solution was administered by the respective route. Chronic administration of the nutrient solutions, whether intravenously or intragastrically, significantly (p less than 0.05) reduced bile flow and bile salt secretion compared with controls and the rabbits on a reduced chow intake. The chronic intravenous route had a more pronounced cholestatic effect than the intragastric route. Acute intragastric nutrient infusion had no effect. The decreased bile output in the chronic groups resulted from a reduction in both bile salt secretion and bile salt-independent flow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)