Changes

Bile formation is an osmotic secretory process that is driven by the active concentration of bile salts in the bile canaliculi. Various transport mechanisms in the basolateral (sinusoidal) and apical (canalicular) surfaces of the hepatocytes facilitate this active concentration. The rate limiting step in this process is via transport across the canalicular membrane side of the hepatocyte.

Bile formation is an osmotic secretory process that is driven by the active concentration of bile salts in the bile canaliculi. Bile acids are produced from cholesterol and prior to being excreted from hepatocytes are bound to specific amino acids allowing them to exist as bile salts. One side of the bile salt molecule is negatively charged (hydrophilic) whilst the other is hydrophobic allowing bile salts to form micelles once a certain bile salt concentration has been reached.

Various transport mechanisms in the basolateral (sinusoidal) and apical (canalicular) surfaces of the hepatocytes facilitate this active concentration. The rate limiting step in this process is via transport across the canalicular membrane side of the hepatocyte and specifically via ATP-dependent pumps (ATP-binding cassette family of membrane transporters)including the multidrug resistance-1 P-glycoprotein (MDR1) which mediates transport of bulky lipophilic cations.

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />