628 INCREASED SECRETION RATE OF LECITHIN IN EXPERIMENTAL PANCREATIC INSUFFICIENCY

Abstract

Since unhydrolyzed lecithin is known to interfere with cholesterol, fatty acid and bile salt absorption, it was of interest to examine the effect of pancreatic insufficiency on its biliary secretion rate. A pancreatic fistula (PF) was created in 2 groups of 10 male Sprague Dawley rats and in an equal number of controls (C). Following a 4 day intragastric perfusion of diet A (.4g of fat/24h) or diet B (3.4g of fat/24h) a bile fistula was created to study biliary lipid secretion rates (μmoles/100g/24h) and bile salt kinetics over a 6h period. There was little difference between PF and C on diet A. However on diet B, the PF group showed an increase (P<.01) in lecithin (79.5±6.8 vs 57.1±4.7) and little change in cholesterol (8.1±1.2 vs 9.6±1.5) and in bile salt (381.6 ±52.9 vs 349.2±32.5) when compared to C. Bile salt concentration and qualitative pattern as well as pool size and circulation frequency remained the same in PF and in C on diet A and on diet B except for the basal synthesis of bile salts which was increased (P<.005) in PF on diet B. In 2 PF animals on diet B, infusion of pancreatic juice led to normalization of lecithin secretion and of bile salt synthesis. These data suggest that in rats fed a low fat diet pancreatic insufficiency has no effect on biliary lipid and on bile salt metabolism. In conjunction with a high fat diet, it leads to an increase in the amount of lecithin circulating daily in the G.I. tract and to a significant interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile salts.