Influence of ischaemic time on the production of bile by perfused rat liver

Production of bile has been studied in rat livers in situ and in livers perfused with rat blood or with bovine erythrocytes in Krebs Ringer buffer containing bovine albumin. The mean rate bile flow in four in situ livers remained almost constant for 3 hr following cannulation while bile flow in vitro decreased gradually throughout the 3-hr perfusion period. The total amount of bile produced in vitro decreased linearly with increase in ischaemic time. This decrease was greater in livers perfused with rat blood than with bovine erythrocytes. The length of the ischaemic time had no effect on other indices of liver function which were measured, i.e., urea synthesis, the ability to maintain a low concentration of ammonia in the perfusate, and the ability to retain potassium within the cells.