Human liver autofluorescence: An intrinsic tissue parameter discriminating normal and diseased conditions
✍ Scribed by Anna C. Croce; Uliana De Simone; Isabel Freitas; Eleonora Boncompagni; Daniele Neri; Umberto Cillo; Giovanni Bottiroli
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 258 KB
- Volume
- 42
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0196-8092
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Background and Objective
Autofluorescence (AF) emission is an intrinsic parameter that can provide real‐time information on morpho‐functional properties of biological tissue, being strictly related with their biochemical composition and structural organization. The diagnostic potentials of AF‐based techniques have been investigated on normal, fibrotic, and steatotic liver tissues, in reference to histological features as evidenced by specific histochemical stainings.
Materials and Methods
AF emission under excitation at 366 nm has been examined on cryostatic tissue sections obtained from biopsies collected during surgical operation, by means of fluorescence imaging and microspectrofluorometric techniques.
Results
NAD(P)H, collagen, and vitamin A were found to be the endogenous fluorophores characterizing normal, fibrotic, and steatotic liver tissue AF, respectively. The differences of their photo‐physical properties, in terms of emission amplitude, spectral shape, and response to irradiation, give rise to modifications of overall AF signal collected from tissues that allow the liver conditions to be distinguished.
Conclusion
The study provides a valid premise for a development of AF‐based optical biopsy techniques for a real‐time discrimination of liver anatomo‐pathological patterns. Lasers Surg. Med. 42:371‐378, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.