Novel assessment of hepatic iron distribution by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence microscopy

Research Project

Project/Area Number	25861189
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Digestive surgery
Research Institution	Kobe University
Principal Investigator	KINOSHITA Hisoka 神戸大学, 医学部附属病院, 特命助教 (00645210)
Research Collaborator	FUKUMOTO Takumi 神戸大学, 医学研究科, 准教授 (70379402) KURAMITU Kaori 神戸大学, 医学部附属病院, 特定助教 (80596784)
Project Period (FY)	2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000) Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000) Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
Keywords	放射線
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Excess iron deposition in the liver is known to be hepatotoxic and may exacerbate liver injury. However, little is known about iron distribution in the lobule because of the lack of a highly sensitive detection method. The aim of this study is to determine iron distribution in the lobule of human liver by means of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) microscopy. Mapping of the trace elements was done with use of SRXRF microscopy. Iron deposits in the periportal area were more intense than those in the centrilobular area in the cirrhotic liver with NASH, suggesting that hepatocytes in the periportal area may be predominantly primed by iron-induced free radical damage. In conclusion, elemental mapping by SRXRF microscopy was a highly sensitive method for the detection and mapping of elements such as iron in liver sections.