Abstract
During pregnancy, the body’s hyperestrogenic state alters hepatic metabolism and synthesis. While biochemical changes related to liver function during normal pregnancy are well understood, pregnancy-associated alterations in biophysical properties of the liver remain elusive. In this study, we investigated 26 ex vivo fresh liver specimens harvested from pregnant and non-pregnant rats by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in a 0.5-Tesla compact magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Water diffusivity and viscoelastic parameters were compared with histological data and blood markers. We found livers from pregnant rats to have (i) significantly enlarged hepatocytes (26 ± 15%, p < 0.001), (ii) increased liver stiffness (12 ± 15%, p = 0.012), (iii) decreased viscosity (−23 ± 14%, p < 0.001), and (iv) increased water diffusivity (12 ± 11%, p < 0.001). In conclusion, increased stiffness and reduced viscosity of the liver during pregnancy are mainly attributable to hepatocyte enlargement. Hypertrophy of liver cells imposes fewer restrictions on intracellular water mobility, resulting in a higher hepatic water diffusion coefficient. Collectively, MRE and DWI have the potential to inform on structural liver changes associated with pregnancy in a clinical context.
Highlights
Pregnancy is a dynamic process involving a series of maternal physiological changes and adaptations that occur to support fetal growth and development
The number of hepatocytes per field of view (FoV) at 40x magnification was significantly lower in the P18 rats than in the non-pregnant group (NP) rats (P18: 104 vs NP: 140, p < 0.001, n = 8 per group), see Figure 3.This 26 % reduction in hepatocyte counts per FoV was characteristic of hepatocyte hypertrophy
Compact magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were used to study biophysical changes occurring in the liver during pregnancy
Summary
Pregnancy is a dynamic process involving a series of maternal physiological changes and adaptations that occur to support fetal growth and development. Maternal cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipid levels are elevated from the second trimester until the end of pregnancy (Bacq, 2000–2013; Lain and Catalano, 2007; Pedrycz et al, 2014; Soma-Pillay et al, 2016; Zhang et al, 2017; Napso et al, 2018). In light of these known physiological changes, adjusted standard reference levels of serum markers have been defined for pregnant women (Abbassi-Ghanavati et al, 2009; Jamjute et al, 2009)
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