Abstract
Summary
Studies of the excretion of estrogen in the bile of bile-fistula dogs indicate that extremely large quantities are excreted by this route for at least 3 days following a single intravenous injection of estrone. Viewed in the light of the rapid disappearance of estrogen from the blood and its minimal excretion in the urine under such circumstances, this observation suggests the existence of an enterohepatic circulation of estrogens, similar to that of bile acids. It throws some doubt upon the hypothesis of rapid destruction or inactivation of estrogens by the liver in the intact animal. The liver appears to be capable of storing relatively large quantities of estrogen for at least 24 hours after administration of a single dose of estrone intravenously.
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