Magnetic resonance imaging with hepatospecific contrast agents in cirrhotic rat livers.
OBJECTIVE
During biliary cirrhosis in rats, organic anion-transporting peptides (Oatps) and ATP-dependent multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) that are likely to transport the contrast agent Gd-BOPTA through hepatocytes are down-regulated. However, the consequences of such down-regulation on the signal intensity (SI) enhancement are unknown. Consequently, the aim of our study was to measure the hepatic SI enhancement during Gd-BOPTA perfusion as well as the Oatp and Mrp2 expression in normal and cirrhotic livers.


METHODS
The hepatic SI enhancement during Gd-BOPTA perfusion was measured in livers isolated from normal rats and rats that had a bile duct ligation (BDL) 15, 30, and 60 days before the perfusion. Hepatic injury and transporter expression were measured in control and cirrhotic rats.


RESULTS
BDL induced a severe hepatic injury that increased over time with a down-regulation of the transporter expression. The extracellular space (assessed by Gd-DTPA perfusion) increased with the severity of the disease. Gd-BOPTA-induced SI enhancement remained similar in BDL-15 and BDL-30 rats than in control rats but significantly decreased in severe cirrhosis (BDL-60 rats). In comparison, the Mn-DPDP-induced SI enhancement decreases proportionally to the severity of the disease.


CONCLUSIONS
During biliary cirrhosis, Gd-BOPTA-induced SI enhancement could not be related to the hepatic expression of transporters.
Planchamp
Corinne
C
Département de Radiologie and Division de Gastroentérologie, Höpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.
Montet
Xavier
X
Frossard
Jean-Louis
JL
Quadri
Rafael
R
Stieger
Bruno
B
Meier
Peter J
PJ
Ivancevic
Marko K
MK
Vallée
Jean-Paul
JP
Terrier
François
F
Pastor
Catherine M
CM
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000032:analysis; D000418:Albumins / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000502:physiology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003287:Contrast Media; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008536:Meglumine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters / Q000032:analysis; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010477:Perfusion; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; C423013:Abcc2 protein, rat; D000418:Albumins; D003287:Contrast Media; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; C064572:gadobenic acid; D007633:Keratins; D008536:Meglumine