Consequences of complete bile-duct ligation on the pubertal process in the male rat

Prepubertal male rats underwent bile-duct ligation or a sham operation. Sham-operated animals were divided into two groups: isocalorically-fed (matched to the bile-duct-ligated animals) and ad-libitum-fed animals. At 60 days of age (after puberty in a male rat) all animals were killed. Bile-duct-ligated animals had larger livers, greater bilirubin, greater bile acid, greater aspartate transaminase, and greater alkaline phosphatase levels and lower testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels in their serum than did the controls. Moreover, the testes and seminal vesicles were smaller in the bile-duct-ligated animals than in the controls. These data suggest that chronic cholestasis contributes, at least in part, to the pubertal and maturational failure that occurs with the chronic cholestatic diseases of childhood.