Hepatic uptake of cadmium and its biliary release as affected by dithioerythritol and glutathione

Net cadmium uptake in the isolated perfused rat liver was half-maximal at 5 microM, and the maximal rate of uptake was 22 nmoles/min per gram liver wet weight. Uptake was augmented when a permeable thiol, dithioerythritol, was infused, whereas it was restricted when glutathione as a nonpermeable thiol or also when bovine serum albumin were infused. The ratio of extra cadmium taken up versus dithioerythritol added was 1:2. Uptake of cadmium was insensitive to anoxia or to the infusion of cyanide. Biliary cadmium release in the perfused liver was not augmented by dithioerythritol but was rather suppressed, whereas bile flow or the release of added 3H-taurocholate were unaffected.