Biliary function studies during multiple time periods in freely moving rats a useful system and set of marker solutes

Biliary output of endogenous and exogenous compounds is altered by anesthesia, depletion of bile salts, and hydrostatic pressure. The described system for bile function studies minimizes these confounding factors by substantially modifying existing methods. Experiments were conducted in freely moving rats which eliminates effects of anesthesia or restraint-induced stress. Depletion of bile salts was prevented by intraduodenal infusion of taurocholate which maintains bile volume. Bile was collected in containers taped to the rat's back which minimizes hydrostatic forces induced by lengthy or elevated biliary cannulas. Animals were prepared for hepatobiliary function studies 1 week before experiments by placement and exteriorization of a jugular cannula and a bile duct to duodenal fistula. Experiments involved monitoring biliary outputs of marker solutes for various pathways of bile formation during three sequential time periods of 120 min, that is, a basal period in the morning and two experimental periods in the afternoon. We found similar patterns of biliary output in each time period for small i.v. doses of conventional exogenous markers [ 3H-taurocholate, phenolphthalein glucuronide, indocyanine green, and horseradish peroxidase] and for less commonly studied endogenous markers [glucose, inorganic phosphate (P i), total protein, and leucine aminopeptidase]. This temporal stability indicates a lack of confounding circadian variability for these markers during the course of the biliary function study. Biliary excretion patterns of these marker solutes (e.g., rapid high recoveries of phenolphthalein glucuronide and low concentrations of P i and glucose) demonstrated that our system for bile function studies is associated with intactness of the examined pathways of bile formation. These results validate our system and set of marker solutes for in vivo biliary function studies. A potential application of this system is to examine acute effects of hepatic toxicants.