Hepatic adenine nucleotides and microsomal cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity in the obstructed and freely draining lobes of the liver after selective bile duct obstruction

Background: The effect of selective bile duct obstruction (SBDO) on hepatic reserve function of the bile duct obstructed (BDO) and nonobstructed freely draining (FD) lobes of the liver is obscure.Methods: The bile duct branches draining from the left lateral and median lobes of the liver were ligated for 4 and 10 days in rats, and hepatic reserve functions in BDO and FD lobes were assessed by microsomal cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activities and by hepatic adenine nucleotides and energy charge levels. The values were compared with those in the sham-operated control liver. Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activities were determined by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and hepatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) levels with high-pressure liquid chromatography.Results: The histological examination of the BDO lobes showed proliferation and formation of new bile ductules and fibrous connective tissues linking portal areas. Microsomal cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activities, hepatic energy charge and each adenine nucleotide level did not differ between FD and BDO lobes, and the values were similar to those in the sham-operated liver.Conclusions: Selective bile duct obstruction shows no adverse effects on microsomal and mitochondrial functions in both the BDO and FD lobes of the liver.