Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis by serum metabolites in non-human primates and human patients

Abstract

Liver fibrosis, a rising cause of chronic liver diseases, could eventually develop into cirrhosis and liver failure. Current diagnosis of liver fibrosis relies on pathological examination of hepatic tissues acquired from percutaneous biopsy, which may produce invasive injuries. Here, for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis, we applied comparative multi-omics in non-human primates (rhesus macaques) and subsequent serum biopsy in human patients. Global transcriptomics showed significant gene enrichment of metabolism process, in parallel with oxidative stress and immune responses in fibrotic primates. Targeted metabolomics were concordant with transcriptomic patterns, identifying elevated lipids and porphyrin metabolites during hepatic fibrosis. Importantly, liquid biopsy results validated that specific metabolites in the serum (e.g., biliverdin) were highly diagnostic to distinguish human patients from healthy controls. Findings describe the interconnected transcriptional and metabolic network in primate liver fibrosis and provide potential indices for non-invasive detection of liver fibrosis in humans.