title: Human liver autofluorescence: an intrinsic tissue parameter discriminating normal and diseased conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Autofluorescence (AF) emission is an intrinsic parameter that can provide real-time information on morpho-functional properties of biological tissue, being strictly related with their biochemical composition and structural organization. The diagnostic potentials of AF-based techniques have been investigated on normal, fibrotic, and steatotic liver tissues, in reference to histological features as evidenced by specific histochemical stainings.
  
  
  METHODS
  AF emission under excitation at 366 nm has been examined on cryostatic tissue sections obtained from biopsies collected during surgical operation, by means of fluorescence imaging and microspectrofluorometric techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NAD(P)H, collagen, and vitamin A were found to be the endogenous fluorophores characterizing normal, fibrotic, and steatotic liver tissue AF, respectively. The differences of their photo-physical properties, in terms of emission amplitude, spectral shape, and response to irradiation, give rise to modifications of overall AF signal collected from tissues that allow the liver conditions to be distinguished.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides a valid premise for a development of AF-based optical biopsy techniques for a real-time discrimination of liver anatomo-pathological patterns.
authors.affiliation: Histochemistry and Cytometry Section, IGM-CNR, Pavia 27100, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Croce
authors.forename: Uliana
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: De Simone
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boncompagni
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cillo
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bottiroli
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence