A critical analysis of three quantitative methods of assessment of hepatic steatosis in liver biopsies

作者：Catta Preta Mariana; Mendonca Leonardo Souza; Fraulob Aquino Julio; Aguila Marcia Barbosa; Mandarim de Lacerda Carlos Alberto^*

来源：Virchows Archiv, 2011, 459(5): 477-485.

DOI：10.1007/s00428-011-1147-1

• NAFLD
• Assessment of steatosis
• Semi-quantitative scaling
• Point counting
• Image analysis
• Stereology

The issue of adequately quantitatively evaluating hepatic steatosis is still unresolved. Therefore, we compared three methods of quantitative assessment. Two groups of mice (n = 10 each) were fed standard chow (10% fat, SC group) or a high-fat diet (60% fat, HF group) for 16 weeks, and hepatic triglyceride (HT) and liver tissue were then studied. Paraplast-embedded tissues stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) were compared to frozen sections stained by Oil Red-O (ORO). In addition, the volume density of steatosis (Vv[steatosis, liver]) was measured by point counting (P-C, sections H-E or ORO) or by image analysis (I-A, sections ORO). HT was significantly higher in the HF group (104% greater, P = 0.0004) than in the SC group. With P-C and H-E, Vv[steatosis, liver] was 4.80 +/- 0.90% in the SC group and 33.50 +/- 3.17% in the HF group (600% greater, P < 0.0001). With P-C and ORO, Vv[steatosis, liver] was 4.86 +/- 0.89% in the SC group and 25.21 +/- 1.27% in the HF group (420% greater, P < 0.0001). With I-A and ORO, Vv[steatosis, liver] was 4.17 +/- 0.85% in the SC group and 23.35 +/- 1.58% in the HF group (460% greater, P < 0.0001). Correlations between Vv[steatosis, liver] and HT were strong and significant in all methods. In conclusion, all methods were appropriate and reproducible. In P-C and H-E, there is a slight overestimation of steatosis in the HF animals in comparison to frozen sections and ORO; in frozen sections, differences between P-C and I-A are insignificant.

• 出版日期2011-11