title: Biliary secretion of bile acids, lipids, and bilirubin by the transplanted liver. A quantitative study in patients on cyclosporine.
abstract: To investigate biliary secretion in liver-transplanted patients on cyclosporine treatment we used duodenal perfusion with a nonabsorbable marker. After an overnight fast, 4 women and 5 men were studied for 6 hr at least 6 weeks after orthotopic liver transplantation. The data were compared with those obtained in 6 healthy controls. All transplanted patients received immunosuppressive therapy (corticosteroids, azathioprine, and cyclosporine). Biliary secretion rates of healthy controls were: bile acids 1.58 +/- 0.67 mmol/hr, phospholipids 0.27 +/- 0.11 mmol/hr, cholesterol 0.11 +/- 0.01 mmol/hr, and bilirubin 18 +/- 0.7 mumol/hr (mean +/- SEM). Liver-transplanted patients excreted 2.60 +/- 0.4 mmol/hr bile acids, 0.56 +/- 0.08 mmol/hr phospholipids, 0.18 +/- 0.04 mmol/hr cholesterol, and 22.0 +/- 4.5 mumol/hr bilirubin. Analysis of individual bile acids revealed that in the bile of liver transplant patients the percentage of cholic acid was elevated, whereas that of deoxycholic acid was reduced as compared with controls. These findings indicate that in the transplanted liver under immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine biliary secretion of bile acids, lipids, and bilirubin is not reduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Theilmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gmelin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stiehl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000378:metabolism*; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000378:metabolism*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000378:metabolism*; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004386:Duodenum / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D010743:Phospholipids; D016572:Cyclosporine; D001663:Bilirubin