Failure of Cirrhotic Sera to Inhibit Renal Tubule Hippurate Transport in Vitro

In order to evaluate possible depression of renal hippurate transport by cirrhotic sera, hippurate transport into rat kidney slices incubated in sera from cirrhotic and normal patients was investigated. Unlike studies with uremic sera, there was no significant difference in hippurate uptake in rat renal slices incubated with cirrhotic sera when compared to normal sera. It is suggested by this in vitro technique that a metabolic inhibitor of hippurate transport is not present in cirrhotic sera and that other factors, such as renal tubule function per se or changes in renal hemodynamics, may contribute to the decreased PAH uptake observed in vivo in the cirrhotic patient.