Zonal differences in gallium-67 uptakes between perivenous versus periportal regions of rat liver following carbon tetrachloride treatment

Gallium-67 (67Ga) has been used as a tumor or inflammation-imaging agent in nuclear medicine, although underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. To gain some insights into the mechanism of 67Ga uptake by injured liver, we analyzed the difference between perivenous and periportal regions of rat liver in terms of 67Ga uptake by hepatocytes at the site of inflammation caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-treatment. Distribution of 67Ga in rat liver sections was monitored with a BAS5000 system following hepatic injury by CCl4-treatment. Periportal hepatocytes (PPH) and perivenous hepatocytes (PVH) were prepared by modified digitonin-collagenase perfusion technique. Uptakes of 67Ga in PVH region and PPH region reached to a maximum 2 days after CCl4-treatment, and the amount of maximum uptake of 67Ga in PVH was twice as much as that in PPH. Liver damage as measured by lipid peroxidation and 45Ca uptake occurred in PVH region within 1 day after CCl4-treatment. Incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into hepatocytes reached to a maximum 2 days after CCl4-treatment, and peaked amount of DNA synthesis in PVH was twice as much as that in PPH. These results indicated that the uptake of 67Ga by the PVH region was carried out during hepatic regeneration phase rather than hepatic damage period by CCl4-treatment.