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British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
. 1986 Sep;22(3):363–366. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1986.tb02902.x

Is biliary excretion of paracetamol significant in man?

K S Jayasinghe, C J Roberts, A E Read
PMCID: PMC1401122  PMID: 3768251

Abstract

The extent of biliary excretion of paracetamol and its principal metabolites was studied in 10 healthy adults. Duodenal intubation was performed approximately 12 h after an oral dose of 1 g paracetamol. Duodenal fluid was aspirated following intravenous cholecystokinin, and urine was collected for 12 h after dosing. The mean concentration of the cysteine and glucuronide conjugates in the bile was 253.7 +/- 39.0 micrograms ml-1 (s.e. mean) and 69.3 +/- 15.3 micrograms ml-1, respectively. The mean recoveries of the cysteine and glucuronide conjugates in the bile were 6.0 +/- 1.5 mg and 1.2 +/- 0.41 mg, respectively. The bile is an important route of elimination for the cysteine conjugate and accounts for 19.4 +/- 4.4% of the total excretion of the metabolite. The fate of the biliary excreted conjugates is not known, and needs further investigation.

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Selected References

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