Recent Progress in the Molecular Imaging of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 8;22(14):7348. doi: 10.3390/ijms22147348.

Abstract

Pathological fibrosis of the liver is a landmark feature in chronic liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Diagnosis and assessment of progress or treatment efficacy today requires biopsy of the liver, which is a challenge in, e.g., longitudinal interventional studies. Molecular imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) have the potential to enable minimally invasive assessment of liver fibrosis. This review will summarize and discuss the current status of the development of innovative imaging markers for processes relevant for fibrogenesis in liver, e.g., certain immune cells, activated fibroblasts, and collagen depositions.

Keywords: NASH; collagen; fibroblasts; fibrosis; imaging; immune cells; positron emission tomography.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alarmins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Aquaporins / analysis
  • Collagen / analysis
  • Contrast Media
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Elasticity Imaging Techniques / methods
  • Endopeptidases / analysis
  • Fatty Acids / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / chemistry
  • Fibroblasts / ultrastructure
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Hepatic Stellate Cells / chemistry
  • Hepatic Stellate Cells / ultrastructure
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Liver Cirrhosis / diagnostic imaging
  • Liver Cirrhosis / etiology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / analysis
  • Mice
  • Molecular Imaging / methods
  • Molecular Imaging / trends*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / complications
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / diagnostic imaging*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / metabolism
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Rats
  • Receptors, CCR2 / analysis
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • Alarmins
  • Aquaporins
  • CCR2 protein, human
  • Ccr2 protein, mouse
  • Contrast Media
  • Cytokines
  • Fatty Acids
  • Fluorine Radioisotopes
  • Gallium Radioisotopes
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Receptors, CCR2
  • Triglycerides
  • Collagen
  • Gallium-68
  • Endopeptidases
  • fibroblast activation protein alpha
  • Fluorine-18