BME frontiers
Photoacoustic Tomography Tracks Vascular Remodeling and Functional Recovery in Liver Regeneration
By Meng F, Gao X, Huang H and 10 others.
Abstract
Objective
This study aims to longitudinally monitor hepatic vascular remodeling and functional recovery during liver regeneration in mice using 3-dimensional panoramic photoacoustic computed tomography (3D-PanoPACT). Impact Statement: By enabling noninvasive, whole-organ spatiotemporal tracking within the same animal, this work establishes a novel imaging framework for staging organ regeneration and mapping vascular dynamics.
Introduction
Hepatic vascular remodeling is critical for successful liver regeneration; however, existing imaging modalities lack the capacity for noninvasive, longitudinal, 3D characterization at the whole-organ scale.
Methods
Male nude mice under isoflurane anesthesia underwent 70% partial hepatectomy or served as controls. A custom 3D-PanoPACT system performed continuous whole-organ imaging over 16 d. Quantitative vascular parameters, contrast clearance kinetics, and histological validation via hematoxylin and eosin and CD31 staining were assessed. Serum biochemical analyses independently evaluated hepatobiliary functional recovery.