Comparative quantitation of liver-type fatty acid-binding protein localizations in liver injury and non-pathological liver tissue in dogs

TL;DR

This study shows that liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) is more active in injured dog livers, suggesting it could help diagnose liver disease.

Contribution

The study identifies L-FABP as a potential novel biomarker for diagnosing liver injury in dogs.

Findings

L-FABP expression was significantly higher in dogs with liver injury compared to non-pathological livers.

L-FABP was strongly expressed in hepatocytes of dogs with lipidosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Quantitative analysis showed increased L-FABP levels correlate with liver pathology severity.

Abstract

Liver injury results in the production of free radicals that can lead to hepatocytic degeneration, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver-fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) is highly expressed in hepatocytes and is a key regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism and antioxidant characteristics. Interestingly, the increase in L-FABP expression could be used as a novel marker of liver injury. Therefore, this study aimed to use immunohistochemical techniques to investigate the expression of L-FABP in dogs with liver injury compared with dogs with non-pathological liver.

Liver tissue samples were collected from dog biopsy specimens at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University. The tissues were prepared for immunohistochemistry and the expression and localization of L-FABP were investigated using one-way analysis of variance.

Immunohistochemical analysis showed that L-FABP was strongly expressed in the hepatocytes of dogs with lipidosis and HCC when compared with that in normal liver. Semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry evaluation showed the percentage of protein expression of L-FABP 0.023 ± 0.027 in the non-pathological liver. The percentage of L-FABP protein expression in lipidosis and HCC was found to be 8.517 ± 1.059 and 17.371 ± 4.026, respectively.

L-FABP expression in dogs with liver injuries was significantly higher than that in dogs with non-pathological liver injury (p = 0.05). These results suggest that L-FABP has the potential as a novel marker for specific diagnosis and prognosis of dogs with liver injury.

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