Influence of dehydrocholate on bilirubin transport into bile in the rat.

The effect of an intravenous infusion of sodium dehydrocholate on the maximum biliary transport (Tm) of bilirubin was studied in Wistar rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbitone. Infusion of the synthetic bile salt at 0.24 mumol/min/100 g gave rise to a marked increase in bile flow (69%). The biliary output of taurocholate, phospholipid or cholesterol, compounds which from mixed micelles in bile, was not modified. Neither did the Tm of bilirubin undergo any significant changes, with drops in the bile concentration of the pigment. Our experimental results revealed that bile flow induced by dehydrocholate is not a determining factor of the Tm of bilirubin in the rat.