Research Report
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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2014; 20(32): 11305-11312
Published online Aug 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i32.11305
Role of the 13C-methacetin breath test in the assessment of acute liver injury in a rat model
Dong Zhu, Hui Zhang, Jing-Yi Mao, Hong-Yan Wang, Xin Li, You-Qing Xu
Dong Zhu, Hui Zhang, Hong-Yan Wang, Xin Li, You-Qing Xu, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
Jing-Yi Mao, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Chuiyangliu Hospital, Beijing 100022, China
Author contributions: Xu YQ proposed the study; Zhu D, Mao JY, Zhang H and Wang HY conducted the experiments; Zhang H, Mao JY and Li X collected and analyzed the data; Zhu D and Zhang H wrote the manuscript; Xu YQ revised the manuscript; All authors read and approved the final manuscript; Zhang H and Zhu D contributed equally to this work.
Supported by Beijing Health System Advanced Health Technology Talent Cultivation Plan, No. 2011-2-08
Correspondence to: You-Qing Xu, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 6 Tiantan Xili, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100050, China. youqingxuttyy@163.com
Telephone: +86-10-67096644 Fax: +86-10-67096644
Received: June 8, 2014
Revised: July 18, 2014
Accepted: July 29, 2014
Published online: August 28, 2014
Processing time: 82 Days and 1.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The 13C-methacetin breath test (13C-MBT) is a promising tool for the assessment of metabolic liver function. Previous studies have mainly been conducted in the setting of chronic liver disease; however, evidence on acute liver injury is scanty. The present study evaluated the role of 13C-MBT in the assessment of acute liver injury in an animal model and showed that 13C-MBT was sensitive for the timely detection of acute liver injury and for early prediction of liver function recovery.