Altered gallbladder bile composition in gallstone disease. Relation to gallbladder wall permeability.

The possible role of conjugated bile salts in the induction and mediation of acute aseptic cholecystitis has been assessed. Using an experimental model, we determined the passive permeability to fluorescently labelled dextran in the gallbladder wall when exposed to different bile salts, alone or together with lecithin. Both taurocholate (20 mM) and, in particular, taurodeoxycholate (20 mM) markedly increased the transmural passage of dextran, but this effect was inhibited by lecithin (50 mM). Bile from patients with cholesterol gallstones contained relatively more deoxycholates (19.4% +/- 8.6%) and less lecithin (35 +/- 20 mmol/l) than did bile from patients with uncomplicated gastric disease (14.1 +/- 6.0% deoxycholates and 53 +/- 26 mmol lecithin/l). Since deoxycholates are more inflammation-promoting than cholates in several systems, and lecithin is considered necessary for protection against the devastating effects of bile salts, these findings should not be overlooked in current hypotheses on the pathogenesis of acute calculous cholecystitis.