Tracking lipofuscin autofluorescence with the progression of NAFLD in a high-fat diet mouse model. a, In vivo autofluorescence images of mice with progressive NAFLD at 3–15 weeks of a CDAHFD. The liver is indicated by a yellow arrow. Scale bar, 2 cm; >10 images were taken per cohort. b, Representative autofluorescence images of the ex vivo liver of the mice in a. Scale bar, 1 cm; >10 images were taken per cohort. c, Autofluorescence microscopy images of 10-μm paraffin-embedded liver tissue slices from the excised tissue in b. Scale bar, 100 μm. d, Autofluorescence intensity of the livers of mice fed a CDAHFD (n = 4–8; 3–9 weeks, not significant; 12 weeks, ***P = 0.00002; 15 weeks, ***P < 0.001), measured in vivo through intact skin as a percentage of the average of the age-matched control cohort at each time point. e, Autofluorescence intensity of excised tissue represented as a percentage of the averages of the age-matched controls (n = 5–8; ***P < 0.001). d,e, The average intensities are indicated by a black bar, with ±1 s.d. indicated by the scatter points. f, Per cent area of autofluorescent liver tissue relative to the control average (n = 6; 3–9 weeks, not significant; 12 and 15 weeks, ***P < 0.001). The mean ± 1 s.d. is shown. Statistical analyses were performed using a two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. Details are provided in Supplementary Table 4.

Image courtesy of the researchers.

Bawendi paper published in Nature Biomedical Engineering

by Danielle Doughty | Department of Chemistry |
Categories: Faculty, Research

The paper, Non-invasive monitoring of chronic liver disease via near-infrared and shortwave-infrared imaging of endogen, was published online on June 22, 2020.

A paper authored by Mari Saif, Wilhelmus J. Kwanten, Jessica A. Carr, Ivy X. Chen, Jessica M. Posada, Amitabh Srivastava, Juanye Zhang, Yi Zheng, Matthias Pinter, Sampurna Chatterjee, Samir Softic, C. Ronald Kahn, Klaus van Leyen, Oliver T. Bruns, Rakesh K. Jain, and Moungi G. Bawendi was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on June 22, 2020.

Non-invasive monitoring of chronic liver disease via near-infrared and shortwave-infrared imaging of endogenous lipofuscin
Mari Saif, Wilhelmus J. Kwanten, Jessica A. Carr, Ivy X. Chen, Jessica M. Posada, Amitabh Srivastava, Juanye Zhang, Yi Zheng, Matthias Pinter, Sampurna Chatterjee, Samir Softic, C. Ronald Kahn, Klaus van Leyen, Oliver T. Bruns, Rakesh K. Jain, and Moungi G. Bawendi
Nature Biomedical Engineering  22 June 2020
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz3168

Monitoring the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is hindered by a lack of suitable non-invasive imaging methods. Here, we show that the endogenous pigment lipofuscin displays strong near-infrared and shortwave-infrared fluorescence when excited at 808 nm, enabling label-free imaging of liver injury in mice and the discrimination of pathological processes from normal liver processes with high specificity and sensitivity. We also show that the near-infrared and shortwave-infrared fluorescence of lipofuscin can be used to monitor the progression and regression of liver necroinflammation and fibrosis in mouse models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and advanced fibrosis, as well as to detect non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis in biopsied samples of human liver tissue.

Read the Full Text at Nature Biomedical Engineering.

The Bawendi Lab focuses on the science and applications of nanocrystals, especially semiconductor nanocrystal (aka quantum dots).