Targeting activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) for liver fibrosis imaging

Dan Li; Li He; Huizhuang Guo; Hanwei Chen; Hong Shan

doi:10.1186/s13550-015-0151-x

Targeting activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) for liver fibrosis imaging

EJNMMI Res. 2015 Dec;5(1):71. doi: 10.1186/s13550-015-0151-x. Epub 2015 Dec 9.

Authors

Dan Li^{1

2}, Li He¹, Huizhuang Guo³, Hanwei Chen⁴, Hong Shan^{5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
³ Department of Radiology, Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital, Guangzhou, 511400, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital, Guangzhou, 511400, China. docterwei@sina.com.
⁵ Department of Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. shanhong@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
⁶ Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Guangzhou, 510630, China. shanhong@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
⁷ Interventional Radiology Institute of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, China. shanhong@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Following injurious stimuli, quiescent hepatic stellate cells (qHSCs) transdifferentiate into activated HSCs (aHSCs). aHSCs play pivotal roles in the onset and progression of liver fibrosis. Therefore, molecular imaging of aHSCs in liver fibrosis will facilitate early diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and instruction and evaluation of aHSC-targeted treatment. To date, several receptors, such as integrin αvβ3, mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II receptor (M6P/IGF-IIR), collagen type VI receptor (CVIR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β), vimentin, and desmin, have been identified as biomarkers of aHSCs. Corresponding ligands to these receptors have also been developed. This review will discuss strategies for developing aHSC-targeted imaging in liver fibrosis.

Keywords: Activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs); Biomarkers; Ligands; Liver fibrosis; Molecular imaging.