Picrosirius red, polarized light microscopy, and curvelet transform analysis: An improved method for liver fibrosis assessment.

Abstract

Liver fibrosis is a hallmark of chronic liver diseases, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and structural alterations. Conventional histological assessments rely on qualitative or semi-quantitative scoring systems that may lack sensitivity for subtle fibrotic changes. Here, we present an improved fibrosis evaluation method integrating Picrosirius Red (PSR) staining, polarized light (PL) microscopy, and curvelet transform-based fiber analysis (CT-FIRE). This approach provides a quantitative and reproducible assessment of collagen fiber morphology and composition. Applied to murine models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)-induced fibrosis, our method reveals novel insights into fibrosis progression and strain-dependent variations. This enhanced workflow offers a cost-effective, high-resolution tool for fibrosis analysis in preclinical research.