Influence of bile acids on biliary lipid excretion in man. Implications in gallstone formation.

Abstract

Bile salts orally administered to a human subject, who had a short-arm Ttube in his common bile duct, markedly increased the concentrations of bile acids, phospholipid, and cholesterol in the hepatic bile. The increase in phospholipid was proportionately greater than that of cholesterol. When administration of oral bile acids was stopped, there was a decrease in the bile acids and phospholipid levels, and in the phospholipid to cholesterol ratio. These data provide evidence that biliary lipid excretion is regulated by the availability of bile acids.