Acinar heterogeneity in hepatic transport of dibromosulfophthalein and ouabain studied by autoradiography, normal and retrograde perfusions and computer simulation.

This study is aimed to investigate the relative involvement of periportal (zone 1) and perivenous (zone 3) hepatocytes in the uptake and biliary excretion of the organic anion dibromosulfophthalein (DBSP) and the uncharged cardiac-glycoside ouabain. The localization in the acinus of [35S]BSP (sulfobromophthalein, the tetra-bromo-analogue of DBSP) and [3H]ouabain administered to livers perfused with normal and retrograde flow, was detected by autoradiography. The plasma disappearance and biliary excretion rates of DBSP and [3H]ouabain were determined in normal and retrograde perfusions. In addition, computer simulations were performed to predict the effect of reversal of the perfusate flow on the plasma disappearance and biliary excretion rate curves and on the concentration of label in zones 1 and 3. Autoradiography showed that 2 and 10 min after injection of [35S]BSP to normally and retrogradely perfused livers, the label was uniformly distributed in the liver acinus. The same results were found 30 sec and 10 min after injection of [3H]ouabain to normally and retrogradely perfused livers. The plasma disappearance and biliary excretion rate of DBSP were slightly faster in retrograde perfusions compared to normal perfusions both with and without a basal bile salt infusion of 15 mumole/hr. This could not be explained by an acinar heterogeneity with respect to any of the DBSP transport steps (plasma to liver, liver to plasma, liver to bile) as was shown by computer simulations. The plasma disappearance and biliary excretion rate of ouabain were similar in normal and retrograde perfusions. It is concluded that periportal and perivenous hepatocytes are equally involved in the uptake of (D)BSP and ouabain from the medium. However, due to the particular distribution patterns no conclusions can be drawn from normal and retrograde perfusions about the relative involvement of these cells in biliary excretion, as was shown by computer simulation. The unaffected kinetic behaviour of the retrogradely perfused livers indicated that no liver damage occurs during retrograde perfusion with respect to transport function.