The role of bile and bile acids in bacterial translocation in obstructive jaundice in rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups in which group 1 received a sham operation (controls), groups 2-5 underwent common bile duct ligation and transection 14 days before the experiments. Two days prior to the studies, animals in groups 1 and 2 received saline orally, while groups 3–5 received an oral administration of either cholic acid, deoxycholic acid or whole bile. Specimens were taken for bacterial culture, and blood was collected for endotoxin assay. The rate of positive bacterial cultures from mesenteric lymph nodes in jaundiced salinetreated animals was significantly higher (p