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The Use of Rhesus Monkeys to Study Biliary Secretion with an Intact Enterohepatic Circulation
Author(s) -
Campbell C. Bryan,
Burgess P.,
Roberts S. A.,
Dowling R. Hermon
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1972.tb03908.x
Subject(s) - enterohepatic circulation , medicine , secretion , circulation (fluid dynamics) , physiology , metabolism , physics , thermodynamics
Summary: An experimental model, originally designed to study the effects of controlled interruption of the enterohepatic circulation (EHC), has been extensively modified and adapted to study the applied physiology of an “intact” EHC of bile in Rhesus monkeys. Basically, the model consists of a surgically exteriorised extrahepatic biliary circuit in which an electronic stream splitter is interposed. This diverts every twentieth drop of bile which provides a representative sample for analysis while returning the remaining 95% of bile to the upper intestine. During these studies, the monkeys were comfortably restrained in specially designed chairs whose construction is described in detail. Animal maintenance and the design of the electronic stream splitter are also described. Analysis of the glycine: taurine and the dihydroxy: trihydroxy bile salt ratios both in gallbladder bile and in bile obtained with an “intact” EHC (by using the stream splitter), showed that the Rhesus monkey secretes a bile similar in composition to that of man. The bile salt: cholesterol: phospholipid ratios in monkey gallbladder bile (81:6:13) were also similar to those found in human bile, indicating that this animal is suitable for studies of cholesterol solubility in bile – a factor of major importance in gallstone pathogenesis. The model has been used to measure bile volume, bile salt secretion, pool size and the frequency of circulation of the bile salt pool. The diurnal variation in these variables has also been studied.