title: Hepatic clearance of Sonazoid perfluorobutane microbubbles by Kupffer cells does not reduce the ability of liver to phagocytose or degrade albumin microspheres.
abstract: This study has been performed to examine which cells are responsible for the hepatic clearance of the new ultrasound contrast agent Sonazoid and to study whether uptake of these gas microbubbles disturbs the function of the cells involved. Sonazoid was injected into rats and perfused fixed livers were studied by electron microscopy, which revealed that the Sonazoid microbubbles were exclusively internalised in Kupffer cells, i.e. by the macrophages located in the liver sinusoids, and not by parenchymal, stellate or endothelial cells. This is the first demonstration of intact phagocytosed gas microbubbles within Kupffer cells. Uptake of the Sonazoid perfluorobutane microbubbles by the Kupffer cells following injection of a dose corresponding to 20x the anticipated clinical dose for liver imaging did not result in measurable changes in the uptake and degradation of radioactively labelled albumin microspheres previously shown to be a useful indicator marker for Kupffer cell phagocytosis.
authors.affiliation: Research and Development, Amersham Health AS, P.O. Box 4220 Nydalen, N-0401, Oslo, Norway. grete.mork.kindberg@amersham.com
authors.forename: Grete Mørk
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Kindberg
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tolleshaug
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Skotland
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000378:metabolism*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008863:Microspheres; D010087:Oxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D010087:Oxides; C069727:Sonazoid; D007501:Iron