Xue Shuqin, Zhu Yujie, Shao Min, Zhu Kun, Rong Jing, Liu Tongtong, Yin Xiujuan, Zhang Saisai, Yin Likang, Wang Xiao
Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230022, China.
Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230022, China.
BMC Gastroenterol. 2025 Feb 27;25(1):122. doi: 10.1186/s12876-025-03701-9.
Given the inherent limitations of invasive biopsy and the insufficient accuracy of liver-related serum biomarkers, there is an urgent need for the development of reliable, non-invasive imaging techniques for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. This study aims to investigate the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1/T2 mapping sequences and biomarkers of collagen deposition and ongoing systemic inflammation, and to evaluate the potential of T1/T2 mapping as a non-invasive method for the accurate diagnosis of liver fibrosis.
A mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced liver fibrosis was established and T1/T2 mapping were performed at different weeks of treatment. The histopathological analysis, collagen quantification, and inflammatory factors measurements (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α) were conducted to correlate MRI parameters with collagen deposition and inflammation. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 22.0, Chicago, IL, USA) and Origin 2018 (OriginLab Corporation, Northampton, MA, USA).
The principal findings indicated that T1 and T2 values exhibited a progressive increase with the severity of fibrosis, demonstrating a positive correlation with collagen deposition and inflammatory factors, especially the hydroxyproline content (r = 0.880, P < 0.001). The HYP content exhibited a progressive increase with advancing fibrosis stages (ρ = 0.914, P < 0.001). Similarly, T1 values increased significantly across fibrosis stage(ρ = 0.854, P < 0.001). Statistical comparison of these coefficients revealed no significant difference (Z = 1.031, P = 0.303). ROC curve analysis showed that T1 mapping was more accurate than T2 mapping in detecting collagen deposition and inflammation.
This study highlighted the potential of T1/T2 mapping as non-invasive and quantitative biomarkers for diagnosing and staging liver fibrosis, providing new insights into the onset and progression of liver fibrosis.
鉴于侵入性活检的固有局限性以及肝脏相关血清生物标志物的准确性不足，迫切需要开发可靠的非侵入性成像技术来诊断肝纤维化。本研究旨在探讨磁共振成像（MRI）T1/T2映射序列与胶原蛋白沉积和全身性炎症生物标志物之间的相关性，并评估T1/T2映射作为一种非侵入性方法准确诊断肝纤维化的潜力。
建立四氯化碳（CCl）诱导的肝纤维化小鼠模型，并在治疗的不同周进行T1/T2映射。进行组织病理学分析、胶原蛋白定量和炎症因子测量（IL-1、IL-6、TNF-α），以将MRI参数与胶原蛋白沉积和炎症相关联。使用IBM SPSS Statistics（版本22.0，美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥）和Origin 2018（美国马萨诸塞州北安普顿的OriginLab公司）进行统计分析。
主要研究结果表明，T1和T2值随纤维化严重程度呈渐进性增加，与胶原蛋白沉积和炎症因子呈正相关，尤其是羟脯氨酸含量（r = 0.880，P < 0.001）。随着纤维化阶段的进展，羟脯氨酸含量呈渐进性增加（ρ = 0.914，P < 0.001）。同样，T1值在纤维化阶段显著增加（ρ = 0.854，P < 0.001）。这些系数的统计比较显示无显著差异（Z = 1.031，P = 0.303）。ROC曲线分析表明，T1映射在检测胶原蛋白沉积和炎症方面比T2映射更准确。
本研究强调了T1/T2映射作为诊断和分期肝纤维化的非侵入性和定量生物标志物的潜力，为肝纤维化的发生和发展提供了新的见解。
