Effects of duodenal perfusion with sodium taurocholate on biliary and pancreatic secretion in man

The effects of intraluminal sodium taurocholate (STC) on biliary and pancreatic secretion were studied in man using a duodenal perfusion technique and indocyanine green (ICG) as an exogenous biliary marker. Duodenal perfusion with 15 or 30 mmol/l STC in healthy subjects markedly suppressed caerulein and secretin stimulated biliary indocyanine green (ICG) excretion in a dose responsive manner, i.e. to 40% (17-95%, +/- 2 SD, n = 5) (P less than 0.025) and 32% (26-38%, +/- 2 SD, n = 3) (P less than 0.003) of i.v. ICG infusion, respectively, with a maximum suppression to 26% and 10%, respectively. In cholecystectomized subjects (n = 5), significant changes in ICG excretion were not observed during STC (15 mmol/l) perfusion. There were no suppressive effects on pancreatic enzyme or bicarbonate secretion in any of the subjects. Our observations suggest that the bile salts STC in the duodenum in man activated a mechanism which selectively suppressed biliary excretion. This is probably due to relaxation of the gallbladder and an increase in gallbladder storage of bile.