Biliary drug excretion

Abstract

Biliary excretion refers to the elimination of endogenous and exogenous compounds (and their metabolites) predominantly by secretion through the canalicular membrane into the canaliculus, a space formed between the apical membranes of neighboring hepatocytes. The excretion process is completed when the bile transports its contents to the gut and they are ultimately eliminated in feces (some compounds secreted into the bile, however, may be subject to reabsorption from the intestine, entering into enterohepatic cycling).