Quantification of thioacetamide-induced liver necrosis using fractal analysis

• Main Authors: Milosavljević Jovan, Zaletel Ivan, Puškaš Nela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Belgrade, Medical Faculty 2018-01-01
• Series: Medicinski Podmladak
• Subjects: hepatic encephalopathy; toxicity; liver lobule; box-counting
• Online Access: https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0369-1527/2018/0369-15271801038M.pdf

Introduction: The liver is particularly susceptible to the toxicity from numerous chemical agents, because of its central role in the detoxification. Thioacetamide-induced liver injury is used as an animal model of acute hepatic failure. Fractal analysis is a mathematical method used to measure the complexity of natural objects and can be represented solely using one parameter - the fractal dimension. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether fractal analysis could be used to determine and quantify the hepatotoxic effect of thioacetamide on rat liver. Material and methods: Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into two groups: experimental group undergoing treatment with thioacetamide (600 mg/kg i.p.) and control group undergoing treatment with saline. Tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome protocol. Graphic processing and fractal analysis were performed using the ImageJ software. Two fractal dimensions were calculated: the fractal dimension of liver parenchyma (Dpar) and the fractal dimension of liver sinusoids (Dsin). Results: Dpar value was significantly lower in the experimental group, as compared to the control, both samples stained with H&E and Masson's trichrome (p < 0.0001). Dsin value was significantly higher in the experimental group, in tissue samples stained with H/E (p < 0.0001). Additionally, we calculated the Dpar/Dsin ratio, which was significantly lower in the experimental group, in tissue samples stained with both H&E and Masson's trichrome protocol. Conclusion: These results show that fractal analysis could prove as a useful, easy and low-cost method in the detection and quantification of thioacetamide-induced liver necrosis.