Nature and Origin of the Proteins of Bile

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Abstract
The specific radioactivities in serum and bile were compared in patients recovering from biliary surgery after intravenous injection of 131I‐labelled albumin, oroso‐mucoid, transferrin and immunoglobulins IgA and IgG. It was found that the major plasma proteins occurring in hepatic bile are entirely derived from the circulating plasma, except for part of the IgA which is of local origin.–A comparative analysis of the concentrations of the different proteins in the two media further indicates that transfer from plasma to bile proceeds along two parallel pathways. One of these consists of bulk transport without distinction being made between the proteins; the other one involves a selection of the proteins as a function of their molecular size, revealing the existence of a semi‐permeable barrier interposed between the plasma and the biliary compartments. To account for the observed sieve effect, the pores of this membrane ought to have a mean radius of about 127 Å.

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