[14C]urea and 58Co-EDTA as reference indicators in hepatic multiple indicator dilution studies

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Abstract
The space distribution and the processes underlying uptake of tracer substrate may be appraised by the multiple indicator dilution technique, after the simultaneous injection of noneliminated vascular (51Cr-labeled red blood cells), extracellular (125I-labeled albumin and [14C]sucrose for high and low molecular weight interstitial space, respectively), and cellular (3H2O) indicators and tracer substrate. When tracer substrates and/or their metabolites containing 14C or 3H labels are being studied, it becomes necessary to find substitutions for the similarly labeled noneliminated indicators. In red blood cell-perfused rat livers, 58Co-EDTA is found to be a good replacement for the low molecular weight interstitial reference; it has a space distribution indistinguishable from that for [14C]sucrose. [14C]urea and 3H2O, which distribute similarly in red blood cells, have similar outflow dilution profiles. With corrections for minor deviations in recovery [a ratio of 0.936 +/- 0.024 (SD)] and transit time [a ratio of 0.962 +/- 0.008 (SD)], the cellular water space can be closely approximated from the [14C]-urea curve. 58Co-EDTA and [14C]urea are reasonable substitutes for [14C]sucrose and 3H2O, respectively, in multiple indicator dilution liver perfusion studies for investigating transfer and removal characteristics of tracer substrates.