Effects of cicloxilic acid on secretory function of the liver. II. Effect on biliary secretion of bile acids, cholesterol and lecithin in anesthetised bileduct-cannulated rat.

cis-2-Hydroxy-2-phenyl-cyclohexanecarboxilic acid (cicloxilic acid) increases the output of bile acids and decreases that of cholesterol both in normal and in sodium taurocholate-infused rats; the biliary output of lecithin remains unchanged in normal animals but is increased in taurocholate-treated animals. The increased output of bile acids is interpreted as true stimulation of the bile-forming function of the liver, an activity supposedly mediated by stimulation of the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids, independent of the drug's hydrocholeretic properties. The changes in the relative molar concentrations of the three micelle-forming bile constituents, namely bile acids, cholesterol, and lecithin, induced by cicloxilic acid lead to an appreciable lowering of the lithogenic index, thus suggesting that the drug may have antilithogenic activity.