Identification of Early Stage Liver Fibrosis by Modifications in the Interstitial Space Diffusive Microenvironment Using Fluorescent Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 24; no. 18; pp. 5603 - 5609
• Main Authors: Lee, Antony, Simon, Apolline A., Boyreau, Adeline, Allain-Courtois, Nathalie, Lambert, Benjamin, Pradère, Jean-Philippe, Saltel, Frédéric, Cognet, Laurent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 08.05.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Chemical Sciences; Diffusion; Disease Models, Animal; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry; Liver - pathology; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Material chemistry; Mice; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; liver fibrosis; diffusion; interstitial space; single-particle tracking; carbon nanotube fluorescence; tissue nanostructure; Tissue nanostructure; Single-particle tracking; Liver fibrosis; Diffusion; Carbon nanotube fluorescence; Interstitial space
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00955

During liver fibrosis, recurrent hepatic injuries lead to the accumulation of collagen and other extracellular matrix components in the interstitial space, ultimately disrupting liver functions. Early stages of liver fibrosis may be reversible, but opportunities for diagnosis at these stages are currently limited. Here, we show that the alterations of the interstitial space associated with fibrosis can be probed by tracking individual fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) diffusing in that space. In a mouse model of early liver fibrosis, we find that nanotubes generally explore elongated areas, whose lengths decrease as the disease progresses, even in regions where histopathological examination does not reveal fibrosis yet. Furthermore, this decrease in nanotube mobility is a purely geometrical effect as the instantaneous nanotube diffusivity stays unmodified. This work establishes the promise of SWCNTs both for diagnosing liver fibrosis at an early stage and for more in-depth studies of the biophysical effects of the disease.