Effect of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves on bile secretion in Anaesthetized sheep

Bile was collected before and during electrical stimulation of the vagus nerves in acute experiments on sheep with ligated cystic ducts. Most stimuli caused no change in bile formation, but a 10-V, 10-Hz stimulus caused a slight increase in bicarbonate output. Neither the response to infused secretin nor the maximum rate of bile salt transport by liver cells changed during vagal stimulation. It was concluded that the vagal innervation of the liver is not likely to play a major role in the regulation of bile formation in sheep.