Markers of Hepatobiliary Function of Perfused Rat Liver

Ludmila Melicharová (melichao@faf.cuni.cz), Milan Lázníček, František Trejtnar

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Summary

The comparison of liver handling of two model drugs, namely sulfobromophtalein (BSP) and ^99mTc-Br-HIDA, aimed in the evaluation of their advantages and limitations in the use as markers of hepatobiliary function was made by employing perfused rat liver preparations. Regardless to their high binding to plasma proteins, both agents were intensively eliminated by the hepatobiliary system. The higher rate of elimination (higher extraction ratio and higher liver clearance value) for ^99mTc-Br-HIDA was found when compared to BSP. Bile clerarance values slightly incresed with time (for 90 min of the experiment) for both compounds under study. Extraction ratio values for BSP slightly increased with time. However, a significant decrease of extraction ratio values at the latest time intervals for ^99mTc-Br-HIDA was determined. Both agents can serve as markers of intensity of hepatobiliary excretion in perfused rat liver preparations. If radiometric detection is accessible, the use of ^99mTc-Br-HIDA makes the determination very easy. In other cases, BSP can be routinely used for this purpose.