title: The tooth as a monitor of cholestatic liver disease in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Measure, noninvasively, the deposition of bilirubin in the tooth by using DIAGNOdent and correlate it to liver dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  After confirming the capacity of DIAGNOdent to measure varying bile concentrations in plaster blocks, a cholestatic liver disease model was studied to detect increasing bilirubin impregnation in the teeth of rats. Wistar-EPM rats (n = 50) were divided into three groups: (1) BDL: rats submitted to bile duct ligation (BDL); (2) Naïve: rats without procedure; and (3) Sham: rats submitted to laparotomy without BDL (n = 10/period/group). The rats' teeth were monitored with the use of DIAGNOdent before the procedure and at days 10 and 50 following surgery. Serum bilirubin was also monitored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tests in vitro showed that DIAGNOdent detected bile in plaster blocks according to its concentration. BDL promoted progressive liver dysfunction, with death occurring approximately 50 days later. DIAGNOdent values obtained on teeth showed correlation with the progression of serum hyperbilirubinemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tooth was found to be a good tissue for noninvasively monitoring the progression of bilirubinemia in cholestatic liver disease in rats by using DIAGNOdent.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Research, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: victor@odontologiaesaude.com.br.
authors.forename: Victor Edson
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Rogerio
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Research, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bruzadin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Research, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Katsuya
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Sciences, Chemical and Pharmaceutical, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Augusto
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bizeto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainsville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Leda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mugayar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Research, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ivan Hong
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Jun Koh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014070:Tooth / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin