Excretion of 14C‐edrophonium and its metabolites in bile: role of the liver cell and the peribiliary vascular plexus

Abstract

1 The metabolism and biliary excretion of ¹⁴C-edrophonium chloride was studied in Wistar rats. 2 Approximately 5% of the dose was recovered from bile in 6 hours. Most of the radioactivity was eliminated as ¹⁴C-edrophonium glucuronide. Small amounts of the unchanged drug were also detected in bile, particularly during the first hour after administration of the drug. 3 The concentration of ¹⁴C-edrophonium glucuronide in bile was approximately 15–20 times its concentration in plasma. 4 In contrast, the concentration of unchanged ¹⁴C-edrophonium was similar in bile and plasma. 5 Evidence is presented that unchanged ¹⁴C-edrophonium is transferred from plasma to bile via the peribiliary vascular plexus.