Measurement of Liver Stiffness using Atomic Force Microscopy Coupled with Polarization Microscopy

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This publication doesn't include Faculty of Economics and Administration. It includes Central European Institute of Technology. Official publication website can be found on muni.cz.
Authors

OJHA Srikant PŘIBYL Jan KLIMOVIČ Šimon HADRABA Daniel JIROUSKOVA Marketa GREGOR Martin

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Journal of Visualized Experiments
MU Faculty or unit

Central European Institute of Technology

Citation
Web https://www.jove.com/t/63974/measurement-liver-stiffness-using-atomic-force-microscopy-coupled
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/63974
Keywords MAGNETIC-RESONANCE ELASTOGRAPHY; MR ELASTOGRAPHY; MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES; RAT-LIVER; FIBROSIS; INDENTATION; HOMEOSTASIS; DIAGNOSIS; MODEL
Attached files
Description Matrix stiffening has been recognized as one of the key drivers of the progression of liver fibrosis. It has profound effects on various aspects of cell behavior such as cell function, differentiation, and motility. However, as these processes are not homogeneous throughout the whole organ, it has become increasingly important to understand changes in the mechanical properties of tissues on the cellular level. To be able to monitor the stiffening of collagen-rich areas within the liver lobes, this paper presents a protocol for measuring liver tissue elastic moduli with high spatial precision by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM is a sensitive method with the potential to characterize local mechanical properties, calculated as Young's (also referred to as elastic) modulus. AFM coupled with polarization microscopy can be used to specifically locate the areas of fibrosis development based on the birefringence of collagen fibers in tissues. Using the presented protocol, we characterized the stiffness of collagen-rich areas from fibrotic mouse livers and corresponding areas in the livers of control mice. A prominent increase in the stiffness of collagen-positive areas was observed with fibrosis development. The presented protocol allows for a highly reproducible method of AFM measurement, due to the use of mildly fixed liver tissue, that can be used to further the understanding of disease-initiated changes in local tissue mechanical properties and their effect on the fate of neighboring cells.
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