In vivo hepatic energy metabolism during the progression of alcoholic liver disease: a noninvasive 31P nuclear magnetic resonance study in rats.

We investigated serially in vivo the ratios of phosphorylated metabolites and the intracellular pH in the livers of rats fed ethanol chronically to evaluate the relation between changes in energy metabolism and the progression of alcoholic liver disease with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the liver were acquired noninvasively from rats pair-fed a nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing ethanol or an isocaloric amount of dextrose with an implanted intragastric cannula for up to 24 wk. A high blood alcohol level was constantly maintained. The spectra were obtained using a surface coil combined with a ferrite screen to eliminate nuclear magnetic resonance signals derived from the superficial muscles. Contaminating 31P nuclear magnetic resonance signals arising from abdominal tissues other than the liver were eliminated from the spectra by digital subtraction. Throughout the study the inorganic phosphate/beta-ATP peak area ratio observed in alcohol-fed rats was found to be consistently elevated in comparison with the control rats (at 3 to 5 wk alcohol-fed rats = 1.20 +/- 0.10, control rats = 0.78 +/- 0.04, p less than 0.05.; at 22 to 24 wk alcohol-fed rats = 1.23 +/- 0.10, control rats = 0.81 +/- 0.06, p less than 0.05.; mean +/- S.E.). The phosphomonoesters/beta-ATP ratio tended to be higher in alcohol-fed rats when compared with control rats. The intracellular pH measured by the chemical shift of the inorganic phosphate peak showed no significant differences between alcohol-fed rats and control rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)