The choleretic effect of iodipamide

It is well established that a number of organic anions are excreted by the liver into bile in association with a marked increase in bile flow. Previous studies have shown that iodipamide (3,3'-(adipoyl-diimino)bis[2,4,6-triiodobenzoic acid]), the radiographic contrast material used for intravenous cholangiography, is a potent choleretic. Experiments were performed in unanesthetized dogs to determine if the increased bile flow produced by iodipamide is canalicular or ductular in origin, to quantitate the choleresis associated with iodipamide and taurocholate excretion, and to correlate these findings with the results of in vitro studies in which the osmotic activities of iodipamide and taurocholate in both isotonic saline and bile were determined. The plasma erythritol clearance increase linearly with the excretion of iodipamide, indicating that iodipamide stimulates canalicular bile flow. The choleretic potency of iodipamide (22 ml/mmol) is approximately 3 times that of taurocholate (7.8 ml/mmol), yet the osmotic activity of iodipamide in bile (1.5 mosmol/mmol) is only twice as great as that of taurocholate in bile (0.8 mosmol/mmol). It therefore appears that, per unit of effective osmotic solute secreted, iodipamide carries more water into the bile canaliculi than does taurocholate.