CCK-8 infusion increases plasma LMW alkaline phosphatase coincident with enterohepatic circulation of bile acids

Abstract

Bile acids may facilitate the release of liver alkaline phosphatase (ALP) from its hydrophobic membrane anchor. The purpose of this study was to determine whether such a facilitatory role could be observed during the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids in dogs. Increased hepatic ALP activity was induced in four dogs by daily injections of 4 mg.kg-1.day-1 of prednisone for 10 days. Intravenous infusions of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) were given before treatment and on treatment days 3, 5, 7, and 10 to induce gallbladder emptying and the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids. Blood samples were taken hourly for 4 h before and for 4 h after CCK-8 infusion. These showed that plasma ALP activity increased significantly only after CCK-8 infusion. Gel exclusion chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and octyl Sepharose phase separation showed that the increased ALP activity was a hydrophilic, low-molecular-weight (LMW) isoform, which is consistent with phospholipase release. Histochemical staining of endogenous ALP activity showed increased ALP activity over sinusoidal surfaces of prednisone-treated dogs. There was also an increased serum-to-tissue ratio of ALP activity in the prednisone-treated dogs, suggestive of increased release of ALP into blood. It was concluded that bile acids probably play a facilitatory role in the enzymatic release of ALP from the sinusoidal surface of hepatocytes, which may be accentuated by the presence of increased amounts of ALP on the sinusoidal surface in some disease states.