Bile Formation: Sites and Mechanisms

Cellular Mechanisms of Cholestasis

“…This view is now considered oversimplified. First of all, it is not clear whether the relationship between bile acid secretion and bile flow is linear at all rates of secretion (8,11,13). It may be unjustified, therefore, to extrapolate data to zero bile acid secretion.…”

“…The best characterized of these is the carrier-mediated, sodium dependent, secondary active transport of the taurine conjugates of cholic acid (2,3,8,9,13). It is proposed that taurocholate uptake is coupled with sodium uptake in a manner somewhat analogous to the intestinal transport of sugars and amino acids ( Figure 1).…”

“…They are efficiently reabsorbed from the small bowel by a process that includes active ileal transport and are then efficiently taken up by the liver and resecreted in bile. Thus, ninety percent of bile acid in bile is the result of this enterohepatic circulation; only ten percent comes from new synthesis by hepatocytes (13).…”

“…This review should be regarded as an interim report. Several comprehensive reviews of bile formation and cholestasis are available (1,(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20).…”

Cystic fibrosis, pathophysiological and clinical aspects

“…The histopathology of the liver is characterised by focal biliary fibrosis which is probably due to progressive obstruction of the bile ducts [96]. Chloridebicarbonate exchange and chloride conductance have been demonstrated in the canalicular membrane of bile ducts [61,79], and these may play a role in bile formation. Malnutrition, bile salt deficiency and EFA deficiency are probably also involved in the pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis in CF.…”