Serum Autofluorescence, a Potential Serum Marker for the Diagnosis of Liver Fibrosis in Rats

Abstract

Fluctuations in serum autofluorescence (AF) intensity have recently been widely used as markers of certain diseases such as cancer. To determine the diagnostic value of serum AF intensity for liver fibrosis in rats, we induced liver fibrosis by subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride into rats. The rat serum AF intensities were detected at the excitation wavelength of 337 nm and the emission wavelength of 512 nm. The degree of liver fibrosis was evaluated by Van Gieson’s staining. The relationship between serum AF intensity and the degree of liver fibrosis was analyzed by Spearman and Pearson Correlation. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the serum AF was determined by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Our results show that the serum AF intensity in the rat liver fibrosis model increased when compared with control rats eight weeks and twelve weeks post induction of liver fibrosis. However, there was no significant difference in serum AF intensity between fibrotic and control rats at four week post induction. Furthermore, serum AF intensity correlated positively with the severity of the degree of hepatic fibrosis. ROC analysis further suggested that serum AF intensity is a valid marker for staging fibrosis. Therefore, it may potentially be developed as a novel diagnostic tool for hepatic fibrosis.

Simple and robust diagnosis of early, small and AFP-negative primary hepatic carcinomas: an integrative approach of serum fluorescence and conventional blood tests

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“…Hepatic fibrosis is a pathological process of abnormal hyperplasia of fibrous connective tissue in the liver and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, especially collagens, accompanied by hepatocyte necrosis and inflammation (Zhan et al, ). In response to liver damage, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are pericytes located in the liver peri‐sinusoidal space and the major cell type involved in the healing and scar formation, jumped from the quiescent state into the activated state which displayed some typical features including defection of lipid droplets, high capacity of proliferation, robust expression of α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA), hypernomic production of collagens (especially Col I), growth promoting factors, and pro‐inflammatory factors (Bataller and Brenner, ; Yang et al, ; Friedman, ; Mederacke et al, ).…”