[Changes in bile composition in rabbits infected with Clonorchis sinensis].

This article presents the changes in the concentration of bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipid, bile acid and the activity of bacterial beta-glucuronidase in hepatic bile of rabbits infected with metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis. We found that the activity of bacterial beta-glucuronidase was significantly higher in the infected group (52.6 +/- 31.6 u/dl) than that in control rabbits (12.5 +/- 20.5 u/dl) (P less than 0.001), and no marked changes in the concentration of bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipid and bile acid were found. concentration of bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipid and bile acid were found. By using alcian blue-PAS combined stain method the authors also noticed that the amount of glycoprotein in goblet cells has considerably increased and secreted increasingly to the biliary duct after infection with Clonorchis sinensis. As the increase in bacterial beta-glucuronidase activity and glycoprotein in bile is in favour of the formation of pigment stone, this may explain why clonorchiasis is often complicated with cholelithiasis.