Collagen co-localised with macrovesicular steatosis for fibrosis progression in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a commonly occurring liver disease; however, its exact pathogenesis is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the progression of steatosis and fibrosis by examining their distribution, morphology, and co-localisation in NAFLD animal models. qSteatosis showed a good correlation with steatosis grade (R: 0.823-0.953, P<0.05) and demonstrated high performance (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.617-1) in all six mouse models. Based on their high correlation with histological scoring, qFibrosis containing four shared parameters were selected to create a linear model that could accurately identify differences among fibrosis stages (AUC: 0.725-1). qFibrosis co-localised with macrosteatosis generally correlated better with histological scoring and had a higher AUC in all six animal models (AUC: 0.846-1). Quantitative assessment using second-harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence imaging technology can be used to monitor different types of steatoses and fibrosis progression in NAFLD models. The collagen co-localised with macrosteatosis could better differentiate fibrosis progression and might aid in developing a more reliable and translatable fibrosis evaluation tool for animal models of NAFLD.