The Value of T1 and T2 Mapping in Diagnosing Chronic Liver Disease-related Kidney Injury and Monitoring the Outcome of Stem Cell Therapy: An Animal Experimental Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the monitoring value of T1 and T2 mapping in assessing kidney injury associated with chronic liver disease and the therapeutic efficacy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) treatment.

METHODS

Thirty-six rats were divided into 6 subgroups (n = 6/group) and underwent MRI scanning at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, followed by biochemical and histological analyses. Seven rats underwent continuous MRI scanning to monitor changes in imaging parameters. Twenty-four rats divided into BMSC and control group. Six rats per group were subjected to serial MRI scans at weeks 13, 14, 15, and 16, another six rats per group were scanned at week 14 and then sacrificed for biochemical and renal histological analysis.

RESULTS

From baseline to 12 weeks, renal hematoxylin and eosin (HE) scores and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) levels increased significantly, and similar trends were found in renal T1 and T2 values. Following BMSCs injection, both BMSC and control groups exhibited reductions in HE scores and α-SMA levels, with BMSC group demonstrating more substantial decreases. Renal T1 and T2 values declined in both groups, with the BMSC group showing significantly lower T2 values than the control group. Strong correlations were found between renal T1/T2 values and HE scores, α-SMA levels (|r|=0.419-0.724). The area under the curve values for T1 and T2 in differentiating renal injury severity across different renal strips were from 0.793 to 0.930.

CONCLUSION

T1 and T2 mapping can effectively monitor renal injury progression in chronic liver disease, with T2 values demonstrating greater potential for assessing the therapeutic efficacy of BMSCs.