Intravital Imaging of Liver Cell Dynamics

The liver is a vital organ in the body. It has various essential functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and control of infection. Because of its medical importance, liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis can be crucial for an individual. Exploring dynamics of living cells in the liver would provide the clues for understanding the pathology. However, due to its technical difficulty, few studies have used intravital liver imaging. To resolve this, we have established a novel imaging system for visualizing liver cell dynamics in living animals.Herein we describe the methodology for visualizing the in vivo behavior of liver cells using intravital multiphoton microscopy. This approach will be useful for understanding the pathogenesis of liver disorders, as well as liver biology, in vivo.