Sex and species differences in the biliary excretion of tartrazine and lissamine fast yellow in the rat, guinea-pig and rabbit. The influence of sex hormones on tartrazine excretion in the rat

Abstract

Abstract A sex difference in the biliary excretion of tartrazine, which occurs in the rat, has been found not to occur in the guinea-pig and rabbit. Male and female rats excrete 13 and 29% respectively of an intravenous dose of tartrazine (50 μmol/kg) in the bile in 3 h. The corresponding figures for male and female guinea-pigs and rabbits were 33 and 39%, and 5 and 6%, respectively. The sex difference in the rat was unrelated to any differences in renal function, for when the renal pedicles were ligated 22 and 63% of a dose was excreted in the bile of males and females respectively. Treatment of male and female rats with oestradiol and testosterone respectively influenced this sex difference in hepatic function but males were not affected by treatment with progesterone. Thus the extent of biliary excretion of tartrazine in males was increased by oestradiol pretreatment from 14 to 33% of the dose whereas testosterone pretreatment of females decreased excretion from 31 to 16% of the dose. The related dye lissamine fast yellow does not exhibit marked sex or species differences, 75–90% of a dose being excreted in the bile of males and females of all three species. Both dyes are excreted unchanged in the bile and urine of the three species.