American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology
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Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. · Feb 2010
Comparative StudyNoninvasive functional liver blood flow measurement: comparison between bolus dose and steady-state clearance of sorbitol in a small-rodent model.
Plasma clearance of D-sorbitol, a nontoxic polyol, occurs predominantly in the liver and has been used to measure functional liver blood flow after bolus and steady- state intravenous administration. However, it is not known which of these two administration methods is superior. Therefore, plasma D-sorbitol clearance was studied in an animal model both after a bolus dose and under steady-state (SS) conditions and compared directly with liver blood flow, under normal conditions, and after the induction of endotoxin (LPS) sepsis. ⋯ In conclusion, in normal and under septic conditions, hepatic clearance of D-sorbitol either by bolus or a SS infusion is comparable. In healthy animals, this also correlated well with TLBF but not in septic conditions. However, this is expected because of the changes in the liver microcirculation, shunting, and decreased hepatocyte function in sepsis.