The hepatic transport of taurocholic acid in the rat: development of a mathematical model

Abstract

1. The transport of taurocholic acid from portal blood to bile was studied in the anaesthetized rat by injecting a radiolabelled pulse of bile acid. 2. The transport process was very rapid, 50% of the dose being secreted within 5 min, and the total dose within 15 min. 3. The transport process had a large capacity. The secretory profile was little modified by a 500-fold increase in the injected dose. 4. The transport process was modelled with both analogue and digital computers. The simplest model which fitted the data comprised rapid uptake from portal blood, slow transport across the cell and rapid secretion into bile. The digital computer simulation suggested that this model is not unique, but will require further testing.