Evaluation of liver regeneration using the L-[1-13C]methionine breath test.
BACKGROUND
We examined the relationship between changes in the liver weight/body weight percentage, amount of hepatic tissue total DNA, and the results of the [1-(13)C]methionine ((13)Cmet) breath test during hepatic regeneration in a rat model of 70% hepatectomy, to assess their usefulness for evaluating hepatic regeneration.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats (230-290 g) were subjected to 70% hepatectomy under anesthesia with Nembutal. One, 2, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively, 40 mg/kg (13)Cmet was intravenously injected into the femoral vein, and the increase in exhaled (13)CO(2) (Delta(13)CO(2)) was measured for 15 min. Simple laparotomy was performed in control rats. Following the breath test, the regenerated liver was removed and weighed. The amount of DNA was determined.


RESULTS
The correlation coefficients (r) between liver weight/body weight (LW/BW) and results of the (13)Cmet breath test, and between DNA and results of the (13)Cmet breath test were 0.892 and 0.800, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The (13)Cmet breath test is considered to be very useful for assessing liver regeneration, and total (13)CO(2) output over 15 min in the (13)Cmet breath test graph seems to be an effective indicator for evaluating liver regeneration.
Ishii
Y
Y
Department of Pharmacology, 3rd Department of Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173, Japan. yishii@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
Asai
S
S
Kohno
T
T
Takahashi
Y
Y
Nagata
T
T
Suzuki
S
S
Kohno
T
T
Iwai
S
S
Ishikawa
K
K
D000818:Animals; D001944:Breath Tests; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D006498:Hepatectomy; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D008297:Male; D008715:Methionine / Q000032:analysis*; D023421:Models, Animal; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D004247:DNA; D008715:Methionine