Usefulness of a dual-input single-compartment model for quantitative evaluation of thioacetamide-induced acute liver injury in rats using dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

We undertook this study to investigate the usefulness of a dual-input single-compartment model for evaluating thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver injury in rats by use of dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT). The rats in the TAA-treated group were injected intravenously with 140 mg/kg (n = 10) or 280 mg/kg (n = 10) of TAA, whereas those in the control group (n = 10) were injected with saline. The rate constants for the transfer of the contrast agent from the hepatic artery to the liver (K(1a)), from the portal vein to the liver (K(1p)), and from the liver to the blood (k₂), as well as liver perfusion (LP), the arterial fraction of LP (AFLP), distribution volume (DV), and mean transmit time (MTT) were estimated with use of the dual-input single-compartment model. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also measured. K(1p), k₂, and LP decreased significantly in the TAA-treated group compared to those in the control group, whereas K(1a), AFLP, DV, and MTT increased significantly. The above parameters except for K (1a) were significantly correlated with both AST and ALT. We concluded that DCE-CT using the dual-input single-compartment model is useful for quantitative evaluation of TAA-induced acute liver injury.