Bile secretion in regenerating liver—a comparison of hepatic resection and ligation of the portal vein branch in dogs

Summary

To elucidate the mechanism of bile secretion in the regenerating liver, changes of bile secretion were investigated in dogs during 12 weeks or more after 70% hepatectomy and after ligation of the portal vein branch supplying 70% of the area of the liver.

• 1) The remnant liver weight increased remarkably and reached a normal level at 2 weeks after 70% hepatectomy. Liver weight increased in the nonligated lobes and decreased in the ligated lobes after ligation of the portal vein branch, but the whole liver weight was unchanged.

• 2) Bile flow increased and continued for 12 weeks or more in the remnant liver except for a period of 2 weeks in the nonligated lobes. It decreased markedly in the ligated lobes.

• 3) The taurocholic acid-independent bile flow was higher in the remnant liver than in nonligated lobes in both of which it was higher than normal liver. In the ligated lobes, taurocholic acid-independent bile flow was lower and taurocholic acid-dependent bile flow was higher than normal liver.

• 4) When gallbladder bile was infused into the terminal ileum, bile flow increased in both the remnant liver and the nonligated lobes, except for 2 weeks in the remnant liver.

Therefore it is suggested that in the regenerating liver enterohepatic circulation of bile acid and the new balance of the bile acid pool size participates in not only in bile flow but also in liver regeneration.