Bile salt-associated electrolyte secretion and the effect of sodium taurocholate on bile flow

Sodium taurocholate has a remarkably varied effect on bile flow. Preisig et al. showed that a portion of electrolyte secretion is related to bile salt secretion, and other studies have suggested that this fraction of electrolyte secretion is important in bile salt--dependent flow. In the present study in the baboon and the dog, it was found that the magnitude of bile salt-associated electrolyte secretion was closely correlated to the effect of sodium taurocholate on bile flow. Theophylline, an agent widely used to alter cellular electrolyte transport, simultaneously reduced the fraction of biliary electrolyte secretion related to bile salts and the effect of the bile salt on flow. The study suggests an important role for electrolyte secretion in the modulation of the effect of bile salts on bile flow.