Copper metabolism after biliary fistula, obstruction, or sham operation in rats.
Intravenously administered carrier-free 67Cu appeared rapidly in the bile of rats with a recently created biliary fistula; maximal excretion occurred within the first 2 hours.  However, if the biliary fistula had been created 3 or 4 days before injection of the 67Cu, only one-fourth to one-half as much of the isotope appeared in the bile.  There also was a small decrease in stable biliary copper.  When rats with biliary fistula were compared with rats with permanent biliary obstruction, over a period of 6 weeks, both exhibited a marked increase in plasma copper and an equally pronounced increase in the rho-phenylenediamine oxidase activity of plasma but no increase in hepatic copper.  Peaks in blood were reached within 2 weeks and then slowly diminished. Sham-operated rats had parallel, but much lower, copper and enzyme changes.  Correlations between these rat studies and the copper retention of Wilson's disease and of primary biliary cirrhosis are suggested.
D000818:Animals; D001646:Bile / Q000378:metabolism; D001658:Biliary Fistula / Q000378:metabolism*; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010477:Perfusion; D011868:Radioisotopes; D051381:Rats; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D011868:Radioisotopes; D003300:Copper