Effect of Phenobarbitone on Bile Flow and Bilirubin Metabolism in Man and the Rat

Abstract

Phenobarbitone in doses causing significant increase in bile flow had no effect on plasma bilirubin levels in the rat, nor on biliary excretion of endogenous bilirubin. In patients with Gilbert’s syndrome small doses of phenobarbitone lowered bilirubin levels without any accompanying change in BSP Tm. In these patients and in normal subjects the fall in plasma bilirubin after enzyme-inducing drugs was correlated with changes in the activity of hepatic enzymes. These studies suggest that species variations in response to the effects of phenobarbitone on bilirubin metabolism may be important

Lack of Parallelism between Microsomal Enzyme Induction and Phenobarbital-Induced Hypercholeresis in the Rat

“…In this same series of experiments, no change in liver weight was observed: this lack of correlation between bile flow and liver weight during administration of phéno barbital has already been reported (II,16). Finally the apparent increase in bile salt secretion at 6 h is very likely to be due to chance since it has been shown (in several studies) that short-term phénobarbital administration did not modify bile salt secretion (2,8,12,18).…”