The use of non-invasive probes and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to assess liver metabolism in humans.
Two new methods to assess liver metabolism in humans will be discussed, non-invasive probes and (13)C NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy. Hepatic UDP-glucose and alpha-ketoglutarate can be sampled by non-invasive probes. This method has been used to quantitate the contribution of the indirect pathway to liver glycogen formation and to estimate relative flow rates and carbon exchange in the Krebs cycle. (13)C NMR spectroscopy has been developed to measure liver glycogen concentrations in vivo. Using this method in combination with measurements of whole body glucose production during fasting, the contribution of gluconeogenesis has been calculated.
Magnusson
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Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, PO Box 3333, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.