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.
Highlights
Hepatic fibrosis may progress to liver cirrhosis [1], which is a severe disease leading to death
Due to the high intra-observer variation among pathologists for the staging of liver biopsy specimens, it is debatable whether LB can be used for the accurate assessment of hepatic fibrosis [5,6,7,8]
We found that AF intensities at excitation/emission wavelength of
Summary
Hepatic fibrosis may progress to liver cirrhosis [1], which is a severe disease leading to death. The diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis at early stage and the subsequent efficient treatments are very important for the prevention of cirrhosis. Hepatic fibrosis may be caused by various chronic liver diseases, including chronic hepatitis. The diagnosis and evaluation of hepatic fibrosis is of great clinical value. The diagnostic methods for hepatic fibrosis include invasive and noninvasive methods. Due to the high intra-observer variation among pathologists for the staging of liver biopsy specimens, it is debatable whether LB can be used for the accurate assessment of hepatic fibrosis [5,6,7,8]. Indirect serum markers are based on single or algorhythmic elaboration of commonly observed alterations in liver function that do not necessarily reflect extracellular matrix metabolism. The serum marker test is noninvasive, it fails to diagnose non-significant hepatic fibrosis accurately and its clinical diagnostic value remains controversial
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