In vitro detection of fatty liver infiltration in protein-depleted rats using proton nuclear magnetic resonance

To determine if NMR techniques might be used to detect hepatic steatosis secondary to protein malnutrition, the T1 and T2 relaxation times of liver tissue from rats subjected to long-term protein malnutrition were measured in vitro. The liver tissue from rats fed a protein-deficient rat chow (PD) for 37 days (N = 9) was characterized by increased proportion of fat (P less than 0.001) but decreased water and nitrogen contents (P less than 0.001) relative to controls (N = 9). Mean T1 times were significantly shorter and T2 times significantly longer in liver tissue from protein-depleted animals (P less than 0.001). There was no overlap of T2 times between the protein-depleted and control animals. The consistent changes in T2 that occur with fatty infiltration of the liver should be detectable by current NMR imagers.